Broken Masquerade
by Patient Harmony
Summary: Part of HCSS. Some nations have been wearing masks, operating in the shadows. As the masquerade is broken, it becomes a game to see who is friend and who is foe. Trusting the wrong person could cost you your freedom or your life.
1. Prologue

**Sooner than expected. Oh well. I don't think anyone's complaining.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Prologue**

The young nation was running through the rain. His new rulers…

He hated being under the control of other nations, but what choice did he have? He was far too small to do anything about it. He was forced to be the toy of whatever empire he fell under. His people were forced to suffer. And _he_ was forced to suffer as well.

He tripped, crying out as he landed. His body was covered in bruises, all because the one ruling him preferred to remind him of the fact that he was an underling.

Why did nations have to do that to each other?

He paused at that. Why _did_ nations have to hurt each other? Most of the time, they were following the orders of the humans. But humans' lives were so fleeting. _They_ didn't have to live with each other for however long the nations had to live. The nations were the ones that carried the scars.

But… _why_? Why did they have to do that?

He looked down at his hands. If _he_ was an empire, he wouldn't treat the nations under him the same way he was treated.

That was it! If he became an empire…

Just as he thought it, his mood fell. If he _did_ become an empire, then it would be because of the humans that ruled him. And his people would proceed to do unspeakable things to the people of any nations under his control.

But… That didn't mean that _he_ would have to participate in any of that. It didn't mean that _he_ would have to do to the nation what had been done to him. He would be different! After all, they still had humanity. And they would have to live with each other for a _long_ time.

The previous empire had taught him many things. It shouldn't be _too_ hard to accomplish his goals. Though it might take a while to do so. Change didn't happen overnight.

And he couldn't do it alone. Many of the things that he had been taught required allies that could be trusted. But with the fickle minds of humans, that was hard to come by. He would need to find a way for nations to operate independently of their people. And he would need to find nations that would be of similar mind.

They could change the world. Although, like humans, nations were resistant to change. He would need to be smart about his allies, and they would have to bide their time until it was right. Until they've gained enough power.

He would need to start searching as soon as possible. But he would have to be discreet about it. And he needed to make sure that he managed to survive long enough for his goals to be accomplished.

…

Sitting in a villa overlooking the sea, two brothers were watching the waves. The younger brother hummed, before he turned to his brother.

"I think the time's come," the younger said.

"What time?" the elder asked.

"The time we've been waiting for. The time to restore the Empire."

The elder blinked, before he smirked lazily.

"And what makes you think so?" the elder asked.

"Can't you feel it?" the younger asked.

The elder paused, and his smirk widened.

"You're right," he said. "Then I guess it's time to alert the others. The sooner we can get to work, the better. And the sooner we get as much territory as possible, the better. We're just going to have to deal with the biggest nuisances."

 **So, this fic is similar to Ve, We Totally Fooled You in a lot of ways, with one particularly big difference: A plot twist that I was disappointed I thought of after** _ **two years**_ **, and that would have changed the game. That being said, I tried not to make this an exact duplicate of VWTFY. One or two aspects are the same, but overall it's different.**


	2. Chapter 1

**Thanks to TooShyToReview, Kim, BlazingBlueFire14, AquaEclipse, 1Croissant1 and PikaPika68 for reviewing.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 1**

Japan opened the door, only to immediately regret it when arms encircled his frame.

"Japan!" South Korea exclaimed.

"Please, get off of me," Japan said, trying to push South off.

South giggled as he released Japan. The older nation glared at the younger.

"Is there a specific reason why you came?" Japan asked.

"Yeah," South said. "My boss wanted me to discuss something with you."

Japan sighed.

"You could at least have called first," Japan said. "But please, where are my manners? Come in."

South grinned, doing as Japan said. The door closed behind them, and the moment Japan had his back turned to South…

Japan cried out as he suddenly felt an immense amount of pain between his shoulder blades. It felt as though he was being stabbed in the back. Quite literally. He looked over his shoulder to see a dark smirk on South's face.

"This is what you did to China, right?" South asked. "Ironic, isn't it?"

"W-what are you…?" Japan tried to ask.

"My 'boss' asked me to kill you. Nothing personal. We just need you out of the way."

Japan cried out in alarm when South managed to push him to the ground. Since when was he this strong? South spun him around on his back, quickly straddling Japan's hips, raising the knife again.

Japan quickly blocked the thrust, using both his hands to stop South's hand's descent. But Japan cried out in pain yet again. While he was distracted with the bloody knife, South had taken out another knife, stabbing him in the chest, and creating a large hole. Japan thought that South was trying to create a larger wound in order to make him bleed more. As it was, his hands were getting weak, and they limply fell to the ground.

"Why?" Japan whispered.

South smiled brightly, and Japan felt that it looked incredibly _wrong_ in this situation.

"Remember all those times that North went running to you and China?" South asked. "You didn't believe him. After all, why would you believe the grumpy brother that keeps to himself, instead of the cheerful, friendly brother?"

Japan's eyes widened. When they were very young, North Korea had often complained about South Korea doing something horrible to him. But South had always grown teary-eyed at the accusations, or it didn't seem like something that he would do. And North ended up being scolded for lying about something like that.

Eventually, North stopped complaining, but he still made it a point to never be alone with South.

Japan realised with horror that North Korea was telling the truth. He had been tormented by South, and he only stopped complaining to them – asking for help – when he realised that nothing would be done about it.

"I've wanted to do this for a _long_ time," South said, removing the knife.

Japan tensed when he felt South's hand enter his chest cavity, closing around his heart. Japan felt South removing the organ, and the last thing he saw was South holding the bloody lump.

South smirked before biting the heart, shuddering in disgust as he started chewing. He knew that this was necessary if he wanted to ensure that Japan would stay dead. Still didn't make it enjoyable.

Once he swallowed, he dropped the heart on top of Japan's chest. He removed his phone and quickly dialled a number.

"Japan is dead," South announced.

"Excellent," the nation on the other side said. "I'll tell my brothers."

"What about North?"

"Keep an eye on him. He's completely isolated, and can do absolutely nothing. We'll see what they want to do with him."

"Got it. By the way, what the hell is wrong with the South Americans? How can they _like_ this?"

"…I take it you ate a piece of heart. You know, you _can_ just completely crush it."

"I wanted to be sure."

"Whatever. Anyway, good work, and I'll report to our illustrious leaders."

South rolled his eyes as the other hung up. He stood up and made his way to Japan's bathroom in order to wash off the blood, before the Japanese population saw him and raised the alarm.

…

Germany opened the door to find Italy standing on the other side. He inwardly groaned, but kept his expression stoic, as normal.

"Italy?" he asked. "What are you doing here?"

"Ve, I wanted to see you," Italy said. "Let's go have pasta together."

Germany sighed. He should have known that that was what Italy wanted.

"Unfortunately, I'm busy," Germany said. "Perhaps another time."

Italy's expression fell, before he perked up.

"Hey, Germany, do you remember all those lessons?" Italy asked.

"Which lessons?"

"About taking your enemy by surprise? Because, you see, I never _needed_ those lessons."

Italy removed a revolver, and Germany's eyes widened. But before he could do anything, Italy pulled the trigger.

Italy watched as Germany fell to the ground, a bullet buried between his eyes. They've spent a long time perfecting these bullets.

He quickly closed the door, before walking away, hands in his pockets. It would take a moment longer for the humans to decide whether or not it was a gunshot that they heard or a car backing up. And if he was lucky, then bystander syndrome would rear its head if they realised that it _was_ a gunshot.

He smirked. Two down, four to go.

…

France chuckled at the joke that Prussia had just told them. The two of them, along with Spain, were gathered at Spain's villa, simply having a good time. It was too early to get drunk, much to Prussia's dismay. But they didn't need to get drunk to have fun.

France's phone started to ring, and he quickly excused himself to answer it. Spain looked after him, a disappointed look on his face.

"How long are you and Franny going to play this game?" Prussia asked.

"What game?" Spain asked, looking genuinely confused.

Prussia rolled his eyes.

"I may not be a Romance nation, like you or Franny, but I'm not an idiot," Prussia said. "So, what are you waiting for? I mean, it's not like your bosses are going to object."

Spain sighed.

"It's not that simple, amigo."

France entered soon enough, a puzzled look on his face.

"What was that about?" Spain asked.

"Switzerland," France said. "He wanted to know if I was at home. Apparently, there was something that he wanted to discuss, but as soon as I said that I was in Madrid, he just hung up."

Prussia cocked his head to the side, a frown on his face.

"That's really strange," Prussia said. "Maybe I should stop by Switzy's place when I go back."

"You know he's not going to be happy about it," Spain pointed out.

"All the more reason to go, then."

…

Romano frowned when someone called him. His frown deepened when he saw that it was Switzerland calling.

"Did something happen?" Romano asked.

"France is with Spain and Prussia," Switzerland said. "What should I do?"

Romano bit his lip. That complicated things. If Switzerland told a lie to get France back home while being in Spain's presence, then once France was discovered, they could trace it back to Switzerland. Provided that Spain lived long enough. That brought up the other issue. Some of their members wanted to rip Spain apart, and they couldn't make a move anywhere near Spain until the time was right. They wouldn't want the former empire to become suspicious, after all.

And then there was Prussia as well. He was a former nation, which meant that he wasn't much of a threat. However, with Germany's death, there was a possibility that some of his old land would be returned to him. The moment that happened, he would certainly grow suspicious as well. He also needed to be dealt with soon. But again, not with Spain around.

"Leave him, for now," Romano said. "I'll speak with Feliciano about this. We'll figure out what to do."

"Alright then," Switzerland said. "Let me know if there's anything else you need."

"Some chocolates would be nice."

Switzerland chuckled, before disconnecting the call. Romano sighed, before he sent a text to his brother. It didn't take too long to answer, which meant that Italy was probably finished with his task.

"Fratello, what's wrong?" Italy asked.

"France is with Spain and Prussia," Romano explained. "Switzerland can't kill him right now."

"That's disappointing. Any idea how long the three of them would be together?"

"Prussia should be feeling Germany soon enough, probably. And then we just need to pay attention to Spain."

"Are you willing to do that?"

"…Not until you're at the base. We need to be careful."

"I agree. I've finished Germany pretty easily. I'll be home soon."

"Good. See you soon."

…

England opened the door, arching an eyebrow when he saw the nation on the other side. This was probably the one person that he least suspected would show up on his doorstep. For that reason, he knew that this was more than just a visit.

"Is there something you wanted?" England asked.

"Now, I came all this way. Aren't you at least going to invite me in for a cuppa?"

England sighed.

"Come on in, then," he said.

Ireland smirked as he entered, and England immediately made his way to the kitchen. Ireland hesitated for a moment, before making his way to the kitchen as well.

"Is Earl Grey alright?" England asked.

"It's fine," Ireland said.

England nodded distractedly, setting to work on preparing the tea. Once that was finished, he sat down at the kitchen table, motioning for Ireland to join him.

"While we're waiting, mind telling me what brings you here?" England asked.

"Well, it's about a subject that I'm sure you'd enjoy," Ireland said. "It's about the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland."

England frowned.

"What about it?" England asked.

"Think carefully about what I said," Ireland said.

England was silent for a moment, before his eyes widened in realisation. There was no 'Northern' in the sentence. Which meant…

"Am I right in assuming that you intend to return?" England asked.

"Something like that," Ireland said.

Before England could say anything, the teapot started to whistle, alerting them of the fact that their Earl Grey was ready. England was about to stand, but Ireland beat him to it.

"Please, allow me," Ireland said.

England was stunned. His brother wasn't being his usual self. And asides from that, he didn't seem to be upset at the possibility of re-entering the UK. Considering how desperately he had tried to break away, it seemed to be quite odd.

Ireland sat back down, placing a teacup in front of each of them. England took a sip of his tea, taking in the familiar scent and taste, though he couldn't help but feel that there was something a bit off with the flavour.

"Now, what brought this on?" England asked. "This seems contrary to your attitude a century ago."

"I'm aware of that," Ireland said. "But… For starters, I guess I miss everyone. Wales, Scotland… And I'd really love for North and I to have a better relationship. My boss agrees. It would be nice for all of us to live under the same roof again."

England took another sip of his tea, frowning slightly.

"And are you sure that things wouldn't end up the same as last time?" England asked. "After all, it didn't exactly end _pleasantly_ for us."

"I'm aware. I know that we didn't have the best history – actually, there are things that make me downright hate you. But then again, that's the same for any nation, isn't it? And it shows a lot if we're able to bury the past."

"You may have a point," England sighed, before finishing his tea. "So, is that all you came for?"

Ireland chuckled.

"You sound so cold," Ireland said. "Why don't you tell me how you really feel?"

"…To be honest, I guess I'm still processing everything," England admitted. "After all, I never expected _you_ to want to join us again. Are you sure you want to throw away a hundred years of hard work?"

"Believe me when I say that I won't be throwing away _anything_."

Before England could ask for clarification, he started to cough. Ireland adopted a worried look, but England simply waved him off.

"Are you alright?" Ireland asked. "You're not coming down with something, are you?"

"I'm fine," England said dismissively. "It's just an itch in my throat."

He coughed again, and Ireland frowned.

"Should I get you some water?" Ireland asked.

"If it isn't too much trouble," England said.

Ireland quickly rose to get him a glass of water as England's coughing fit continued. It wasn't anywhere near the fourth of July, and there wasn't anything wrong with his economy, so why…?

His eyes widened in shock. He was… He was losing his connection to his land. He could feel everything slipping away. He barely reacted when Ireland placed the glass in front of him.

"Arthur, are you okay?" Ireland asked.

England didn't answer, just tried to reach out to his land. But nothing. He only snapped out of his stupor when he heard Ireland chuckle.

"I take it that the potion has taken effect," Ireland said.

"What potion?" England asked.

"A potion that robs a nation of their immortality."

England stared at his brother in shock, and Ireland merely grinned.

"I'm not throwing away a hundred years' worth of hard work," Ireland said. "I've been working on this for far longer, along with a few friends. The plan was to kill you… But I think I'm going to have some fun first."

…

America opened the door, and he was surprised to see Mexico standing there, looking a little annoyed.

"What's up?" America asked.

"My boss wanted me to discuss something with you," she said. "He said it was rather urgent."

"Uh, okay."

He let her in, and she immediately made her way to the living room. America hesitated for a moment, before following her.

"So, what is this thing we're supposed to discuss?" America asked.

Mexico smirked.

"The fact that you need to die," she said, removing a pistol.

America's eyes widened, and he immediately ducked out of the way as she fired. The bullet managed to graze his shoulder, and he hissed in pain. That bullet… It was no ordinary bullet. Something about it didn't feel right.

"What did I do _this_ time?!" America demanded, removing his own handgun from his bomber jacket.

"Like I said, you need to die," Mexico said. "The G7 is the biggest threat to our plans. It's essential to eliminate them."

America's eyes widened in horror, before his face twisted in a snarl.

"If this is some type of joke, it's not funny," America said. "There's no way you'll kill me. I'll just come back and kick your ass."

"No you won't," Mexico said, before she shot again.

…

Canada groaned when his phone vibrated, alerting him to a text. He was enjoying lying in bed. It wasn't too often that he managed to sleep in.

He had to suppress another groan when he saw that the text was from America, demanding that he go to his house for something or another. Canada didn't really care at the moment.

He knew that he needed to go, regardless of whether or not he wanted to. So with some difficulty, he started to get changed.

…

Mexico smirked as she read the reply from Canada. She knew that it would be easy to lure Canada to America's home. She also knew that both of them were staying at their capitals, which meant that Canada would be there in about nine hours, give or take. She _could_ always have driven herself, but she already had to travel from her own country to America's, and she didn't want to travel any more.

And besides, while she waited for Canada, she could entertain herself with America's body.

She turned to the corpse, a bullet buried in his head. She smirked, before stalking over and removing the glasses. Texas. The first of the states that would be returned to her. Placing the glasses on the coffee table, she removed a knife, looking at the corpse and licking her lips.

…

Canada sighed when he finally arrived at America's home. It had taken him ten hours – he had to stop and eat along the way – but he had finally arrived. He hoped that what America wanted was important. Sometimes, he really hated being so polite.

He knocked on the door, waiting for a while. It didn't take too long for the door to open, but it wasn't America. It was Mexico.

"The gringo called you here too?" she asked in irritation.

"Yeah," Canada sighed, giving her a small smile.

Mexico returned his smile.

"I guess you should come in," Mexico said.

Canada nodded in thanks, before entering the house. He heard Mexico close and lock the door, but he wasn't too bothered by it.

At least, until he reached the living room.

He let out a horrified scream when he saw America. Or rather, his corpse. There was a bullet in his head, but that wasn't the worst of it. His jacket and shirt had been removed, allowing Matthew to see the open torso, America's entrails and other organs spilling out. Some of them weren't whole anymore. And… He could swear that he saw teeth marks.

He felt Mexico next to him, but before he could react, he heard a gunshot before he felt an intense pain in his abdomen. He crumpled to the floor, looking up at Mexico, who was grinning down at him.

"Y-you?" Canada whimpered. "Why?"

Mexico smiled at him, before crouching down.

"I like you," she said. "So, before I kill you, I'm going to tell you _why_. It's the least I can do for you. But unfortunately, I can't let you live."

 **As I said, there will be** _ **some**_ **similarities with VWTFY, but overall, it's different. As you can see, some of the members are different. But the twist will come soon.**


	3. Chapter 2

**Thanks to TheSilentLilac, , Eternal Nexus Warrior and an anon for reviewing.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 2**

Canada stared wide-eyed at Mexico, who was smiling pleasantly at him.

"Why do you have to kill me?" Canada asked.

"I'll get to that soon," Mexico said. "But for now… It must not be comfortable on the floor. Why don't you move to the couch?"

Canada simply stared, and Mexico's smile fell.

"That wasn't a suggestion," Mexico said coldly.

Canada flinched, before he stood, clutching the wound on his stomach. He knew that she could have shot him in the back, but he had a feeling that she _wanted_ to tell him, whatever it was. Perhaps… she wanted Canada to understand what she was doing.

Mexico didn't help him move to the couch, and he sat down painfully. Mexico made her way to the armchair across from the couch, sitting on it like a throne.

"Where do I begin?" she said. "Well, I suppose I should start with how it started with _me_. During the colonial period, when the Spaniards came and… _ruined_ everything, I was approached by someone, right under Spain's nose. He explained to me that he was part of a group that would build the ultimate empire, the likes of which had never been seen. But instead of having a single nation manage everything, it was to be an empire forged by a union of nations. He asked me if I wanted to take part in it. We just had to bide our time, waiting for the right moment. And our leaders told us that it was time."

Canada simply stared. Mexico looked _too_ relaxed.

"Why kill me, then?" Canada asked. "And why did you kill Alfred?"

"The two of you are among the strongest nations in the world," Mexico explained. "For our plan to work, we need to eliminate the threats. However, you would have died either way. I was promised North America. The Aztec Empire would return, larger and stronger than before. It's really a shame, though. I really _do_ like you. You were a sweet brother."

Canada didn't answer, instead glancing towards America.

"Who else is dead?" Canada asked.

"If everything went well," Mexico said, "then the rest of the G7 should be dead. You're the last."

Canada felt a jolt when he heard that. England, France… This group that Mexico belonged to… They _killed_ them.

"Who else is in your group?" Canada asked, nervously looking towards Mexico.

He was stalling, but he knew that he didn't have too long. His body wasn't rejecting the bullet, and he was losing a lot of blood. He wondered if it was possible for Mexico's group to have found a way to kill a nation.

"I don't see how that would matter," Mexico said. "But we have members all over the world."

Canada swallowed, before asking the one question that had _really_ been burning in his mind.

"What exactly did you do to Alfred?" Canada asked.

Mexico didn't answer immediately, probably trying to figure out what exactly he meant by the question. Eventually she smiled.

"An interesting thing I share with the South American members," Mexico said. "It's a hunger for human flesh. We had to keep that part of us hidden. You have _no_ idea how torturous it was. And the flesh of nations is even sweeter than the flesh of humans. So, you can probably forgive me for taking advantage of the situation. A fresh corpse in front of me… Of course, it would be better if he was still alive. But the gringo has too much strength, and he would have given me problems. And even though you're strong too, you're still manageable."

Canada felt bile rise in his throat. She was… She was intending to…

"I can see by the look on your face that you realise what's in store for you," Mexico said. "And judging by your skin tone, you're not long in passing out. And considering those bullets are designed to _kill_ nations… If you try to run now, you wouldn't get far. So, what are you going to do?"

Canada's mind was torn. He had a few options. One of them involved allowing himself to be killed by Mexico. The others all brought him to safety. However, there was a secret involved that he didn't want to reveal. But if he died, then the knowledge of what he learned from Mexico would die with him. And he needed to warn the others.

"Ainâmor," he said.

…

Romania yawned, not for the first time that night. He hated when he had to work late. There were a million other things that he would rather do.

He jumped in surprise when there was a sudden burst of light, and once the light faded, there was a barely conscious figure on the floor.

His stomach dropped. It was a spell that they had cast on their allies so long ago. In case of emergency. They needed to bleed, and then say the name of someone – one of their allies – backwards, and in that ally's native language. It wasn't often that this was invoked.

So, once Romania recovered from his shock, he rushed to the other's side. He felt a jolt when he saw that it was Canada, looking so pale that he was almost completely white.

"What happened?" Romania demanded.

"They… murdered…" Canada gasped. "Call… others…"

And then he promptly passed out. A negative effect of the spell was that it was draining. But Romania didn't know if that was the reason why he passed out.

Romania rolled Canada over onto his back, and his eyes widened when he saw the large red stain on his front. Romania had a feeling that he couldn't wait for Canada to heal on his own, so he immediately set to work, muttering a healing spell.

He faltered when he felt something, and he realised that it was the bullet that had been used to shoot Canada. He used his magic to extract the bullet, and again to analyse it. What he learned worried him even more, and he immediately continued to heal Canada. He knew from the bullet that if he continued to delay, then Canada might actually die. And he knew of someone that would _not_ be happy about it.

Once the wound was healed and Canada no longer in danger of dying, Romania turned to the bullet again. Something like this… It needed to be reported. And what did Canada mean when he said 'murdered'?

Romania bit his lip. There were two nations that he knew that he _needed_ to tell about it. Their leader, and Canada's lover. The only question was, who to call first?

…

Mexico blinked in surprise, before she jumped to her feet. Canada was _gone_. He just disappeared. She knew that he wasn't invisible – his invisibility never had any effect on them. So where…?

She bit her lip, before removing her phone. She needed to call Romano. And… uh oh.

Her eyes widened as she recalled that she had told Canada quite a lot. She liked him, and didn't want him to die without knowing _why_. But seeing as he had just disappeared…

"Mexico?" Romano asked, pulling her from her thoughts. "Is everything alright?"

"Canada just disappeared," Mexico said. "I can't sense him anywhere nearby. And he was pretty hurt as well. I have no idea how…"

"Calm down," Romano ordered. "How much does he know?"

Mexico winced.

"He knows that we've been conspiring," she said. "I'm sorry. I just… I wanted him to understand that it wasn't personal, and…"

"What else does he know?" Romano snapped.

"He knows that there are members all over the world, but I didn't give any names. He also knows that the G7 was killed. Well, except for him…"

"And Switzerland couldn't get to France. Anything else?"

"Just that me and the South Americans are cannibals."

"That one isn't too serious. America's been dealt with?"

"Si."

"Good. We'll find Canada. The fact that he knows that there's a group of us means that he wouldn't be too quick to go looking for help. He wouldn't know who to trust. But, none of our research showed that Canada could use magic."

"I know. It doesn't make sense!"

"Calm down. We'll fix this. We'll find Canada before he could warn anyone else."

"I'm really sorry."

Romano hung up, and she dejectedly turned to America. She dialled another number.

"Cariño," she said, "I need you right now."

…

Romania had moved Canada to his guest room, and he was no longer alone. Two other nations were there as well. They were waiting for Canada to wake up so that they could get some answers.

Canada groaned, and the other three were immediately by his side. Canada's eyes opened, and they immediately found their way to his lover.

"Damjan?" he whispered.

"Matthew," the other said, sitting down next to Canada. "Are you alright? Who did this to you?"

"Mexico," he said, before turning to their leader. "It looks like we're not the only ones."

The leader gritted his teeth, furious that one of his friends had been attacked like that.

"Matthew, I need you to explain exactly what happened," he said.

…

Prussia was a little happier now, as they had gone to a bar to get drunk. He was downing a bottle of beer when his phone rang, and he quickly answered it.

"Kesese, this is the awesome Prussia," he said.

"Gilbert, I hope you're not too drunk."

Prussia's smile fell. That voice and _that_ tone… It didn't spell anything good. He quickly glanced towards France and Spain before slipping away, trying to find a quiet place to speak.

"Did something happen?" Prussia asked.

"Matthew was attacked by Mexico. America's dead as well, and it seems that there are others as well. They specifically targeted the G7."

Prussia felt his stomach drop. The G7… That meant…

"What happened to Ludwig?" he asked.

"We don't know. Where are you now?"

"I'm with Antonio and Francis."

"France is still alive?"

"Ja. But what about my brother?"

"How close to Germany are you?"

"I'm in Spain."

"…Not close enough, then. If you want, I can send someone to check on Germany. But it might be a good idea to keep an eye on France. There's a possibility that the only reason why he's still alive is because he was with you. And we'll need to check on the others as well."

Prussia swallowed nervously.

"Let me know if you know anything about West," Prussia said. "And I'll keep Franny safe. And Tonio."

"Thank you."

Prussia hung up the phone, and he immediately called his brother. The phone rang and rang, until it finally died. He bit his lip, trying to keep the tears inside. If his brother really _had_ been killed…

He would find out who did it and he would make them _pay_. Perhaps he should start with Mexico…

He shook his head. He couldn't jeopardise their plans. He would wait. They had waited for centuries. He could wait a little longer.

…

The nation groaned when she heard the phone ring, disturbing her slumber. She glared at the device, feeling slightly relieved when she saw that it was the leader, since he would obviously understand what time it was.

"What is it?" she asked, yawning.

"Sorry for waking you. When is the African Union meeting?"

"In two days. And it's not the Union, since non-members are coming too. Why?"

"And who's the host?"

"Speaking."

"Good. You remember those contracts we spoke about?"

"Yeah…"

"We're going to use them."

She was silent for a moment, her fatigue fading away.

"Is it time?" she asked.

"I would have wanted to wait a bit longer, but we're being forced into action. Matthew was attacked, and America's dead."

At that moment, she was wide awake.

"What?" she asked.

"They apparently targeted the G7. And I already tried calling Japan, England, Germany and Italy. France is with Gilbert, so we know that he's safe. For now. But the fact that none of the others answered… I'm going to send some of the others to investigate as soon as possible."

She swallowed nervously.

"Matthew said that they were planning for a long time," he continued. "Just like us. But it would seem as though conquest is their goal. Mexico plans to return the Aztec Empire. And… Matthew said that Mexico is a cannibal. And according to her, so are her South American allies."

Her stomach dropped. Thinking of their allies in South America…

"Did Matthew learn about any other members?" she asked.

"Mexico didn't tell him."

"…So, we're starting our plans?"

"Yes. There's one other thing I want you to do."

She listened intently, and solemnly closed her eyes.

"Alright," she said. "I'll tell the others first thing tomorrow morning. So, who's going to deliver the contracts?"

"I'll send Vlad with them. I want you to be careful. This assignment is very important."

"Don't worry. I know."

The call was disconnected, and she checked the time on her phone. She sighed. It was still a long way until morning, but she doubted that she would get any sleep, all things considered. She couldn't contact any of the others yet, since it was still an ungodly hour to do so. Honestly, what she had to say could wait.

She quickly scrolled through her contacts, wanting to speak to someone. She quickly dialled, hearing the reassuring tone on the other side.

"Hi my preciosa," the one on the other side said. "This is a pleasant surprise. What time is it over there?"

"A time when I should be sleeping," she said. "But I can't. Skat, do you know about any cannibals in your part of the world?"

"Cannibals?!"

She winced. She knew that it was a sore spot for him.

"I… I can't think of anyone. Why?"

"Because apparently, Mexico is one."

"M-Mexico?"

"And a few South Americans. As it turns out, we're not the only ones that lied to the rest of the world. America's also dead, along with most of the G7. And if there _are_ cannibals in South America… You need to be careful."

"…Thanks," he whispered. "I hope we'll hear official confirmation soon."

"I'm sure we will."

…

North Korea stretched as he made his way to his computer. He always checked his emails first thing in the morning, and before he went to sleep. Not that he got a lot of messages. Not a lot of nations wanted to speak with him. And thanks to his government, his access was restricted. Still, he had access to a secret line that his allies used.

He blinked at the screen in surprise. He actually _did_ have a message. From the leader, no less. He smiled, wanting to hear the news. Perhaps it was time, and he could finally change his situation.

Although it _was_ confirmation that they would be starting, the reasons explained in the email made him feel a bit nauseous.

There was another group that had operated in secret. One that appeared to use lethal force. Canada was attacked by a member of this group, and America was confirmed dead. The group had targeted the G7, and only France was confirmed to be alive out of them. Investigations would be launched to see if the others were, in fact, dead as well.

North was asked to see if he could sneak into Japan to investigate. He quickly typed a reply that acknowledged that he would, though it might take a while. The reply was immediate, saying that he could take all the time that he needed, though urgency should still be taken into account.

As North busied himself with getting ready, his thoughts wandered, wondering who would do something like that. And he froze when he realised something crucial.

South Korea. To everyone except North, he was a sweet, cheerful child, but to his brother, he was a sadist, enjoying torturing the North Korean. So when the day came that South started acting _nice_ to him, North was immediately alert. After all, one didn't change like that. And even though South stopped torturing him, treated him politely, and acted worried about his well-being, North never _could_ relax around South. He was always on his guard, and expected South to reveal the farce any time. And during the Korean war, North expected South to reveal his true self. It came in small doses, and once again, only in North's presence. To the rest of the world, North was the evil twin, all because of his retaliations.

North could imagine that South would be a member of this group. He was certainly sadistic enough. And the way that he could fool everyone…

Well, not _everyone_. North's allies were on their guard as well. They had heard North's stories of how South had tormented him. And they had seen the few scars that he carried from those times. One of the reasons why North was so loyal to them was because they believed him.

He quickly made his way back to his computer, sending another message with his suspicions regarding South Korea. It took a while, but there soon came a reply that they would investigate. North could choose whether or not he wanted to be a part of that group.

He hesitated for a moment, before saying that he would. If South really _was_ involved in something like this, then North wanted to be there to see his true colours.

…

Romano flinched as his phone rang. The call was unexpected, and if it was one of their members, then it couldn't be something good.

Only… it _wasn't_ one of their own. Romano groaned when he saw who was calling, and he wondered whether or not he should answer.

"He called me too," Italy said, and Romano turned to his brother. "I ignored the call. It's only a matter of time before they find the dead nations. We'll need to pretend that we're dead too."

"You're probably right," Romano said, and after a few more seconds the device was silenced.

 **Yeah, the big twist is that there are two organisations.**


	4. Chapter 3

**Thanks to , AquaEclipse and an anon for reviewing.**

 **Another difference from VWTFY is that I will also be paying a lot more attention to the aftermath. This is one such chapter.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 3**

It had been rather easy to sneak into Japan, and that made North nervous. The reason for the easy access was the chaos.

North glanced around him, feeling sick to his stomach. Not a lot of nations seemed to realise that when one of them died there was a ripple effect, killing a tenth of the human population. And North was seeing it for himself. Most of it happened through accidents, but there were some cases of someone being killed. Some of them in robberies, some of them for other reasons. North even witnessed someone jumping from a building, landing on another person, killing two people.

It was especially disconcerting in the city of Tokyo, which didn't have a lack of people. North tried to ignore everyone as he made his way to Japan's house. He knew that Japan had gone to his Tokyo residence.

But North didn't immediately approach. He came to a stop when he saw that the door was open. And he carefully made his way closer.

He could see the prefecture bent over the body of the nation. And he could sense nothing from the nation. If the death that had surrounded him didn't clue him in on it, then seeing the corpse certainly did: Japan was dead.

The prefecture – probably Tokyo, based on the location – was bent over his nation, and North could see the shoulders shaking. Tokyo was crying. And North didn't need to make his presence known. He knew that he would be suspected for the murder, simply because of who he was.

North walked away, removing his cell phone. It was rarely used, but the circumstances more than made up for it.

"Japan is dead," North said. "I'm going to South to see if I can learn anything."

"Be careful," the leader said. "You know better than anyone what he can be like."

"Don't worry. I'm not letting my guard down around him."

…

Tokyo had grown aware of the sudden increase in people dying. It wasn't natural. And he could also feel a chill in his bones.

He had called Japan, but there had been no answer. He knew that Japan was in the house in his city, so he had gone from his own apartment to find Japan.

But the way he had found him was _not_ the way that he had wanted to find him.

"Kiku?" he muttered.

Seeing his brother like that… And to make things worse, he couldn't sense Japan at all. It was as though he was an empty shell.

Tokyo had knelt down next to Japan, shaking him. And that was when he realised that rigor mortis had sunk in. Something that _never_ happened to nations. They always revived before that could happen.

And that was what confirmed, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that Japan was really and truly dead.

Tokyo was usually so composed, but that composure broke as the tears escaped from his eyes. Japan was dead, and he could feel that emptiness. He was a prefecture without a nation.

He didn't know how long it took, but eventually he pulled out his phone, drying the tears as best he could, but a small sob still escaped. He needed to call the others. He needed to let them know.

…

"Like, something's definitely happened to Germany," Poland said.

Lithuania glanced towards Poland, but he quickly turned his gaze back to the road. The two of them were driving to Berlin to go check on Germany. Poland, as Germany's neighbour, could sense that something was wrong.

And once they crossed Germany's border, they could see that something was _seriously_ wrong. The number of accidents they had passed alone… One of them was a derailed train. Poland was watching, and he shuddered at the amount of blood. Emergency workers were already working, but he could see that it was already too late.

It took longer than usual to reach Berlin. Many of the roads were closed, and they had to look for alternatives. So when they finally arrived at Germany's house, Poland immediately jumped out of the car and ran to the door, even before Lithuania killed the engine. Poland tried the door, only to find it unlocked. Something that Germany would _never_ do.

"Like, oh my god," Poland muttered.

Lithuania walked up next to Poland, seeing the corpse not too far from the entry. Germany felt empty, and there was a look of betrayal carved onto his face.

"Matthew was right," Lithuania said. "Come on. I need to call Gilbert."

"Like, go ahead," Poland said. "I'm going to see if I can find anything to tell us who did this."

Lithuania nodded his head. After all, they _were_ ordered to investigate. But judging by the look of betrayal on Germany's face, it was someone that he knew and trusted.

…

Slovakia watched as Czechia paced in her living room. He had come by to see if she wanted to have lunch with him, but she was preoccupied. She was worrying about Germany.

She could sense that something was going on with her neighbour, and they had tried tuning into the news to see what was going on. Accidents alone was worrisome. There were fires. An earthquake. And no word from the nation himself.

Czechia had already called a few times, but each attempt was met with failure. And even Slovakia was growing worried. Slovakia had called Prussia, but he had seemed ignorant.

The only way to find out what was happening was to go to Germany themselves, but with the amount of roadside accidents reported, it didn't seem like the best idea.

…

Austria tried playing piano, but he had to stop after a while. His fingers were too busy trembling.

"Are you alright?" Hungary asked.

"Nein," Austria sighed. "There is something going on with Ludwig."

"Germany?"

Austria nodded his head.

"There is something going on in his lands," Austria said, "and _I_ can sense it. I can't remember the last time I sensed something from one of my neighbours."

"I'm sure it's nothing," Hungary said. "It'll all be over soon."

He sighed, and he tried to play again, but he could only manage a few notes before he was forced to stop. Something was _definitely_ wrong. But was it his place to ask?

Unless…

Austria stood from the piano and made his way to the TV, turning it on and switching to a news channel. What he saw made him turn pale.

"Oh my," Hungary gasped.

The reports spoke of too much death, most caused by accidents, but it was still alarming.

"What happened?" Austria whispered.

…

Switzerland was enjoying a cup of tea with Liechtenstein. He could sense the turmoil happening in Germany, and was just disappointed that he couldn't manage to cause the same thing to happen in France. But he would have another chance. He had a few spies to inform him when France returned to his land. And then, Switzerland could complete his mission.

He knew that he could attack France, regardless of whether or not Spain and Prussia were with him. But he had been told not to by one of the leaders. It irked him, but there was nothing that he could do about it. And he could see the logic behind it.

Several of his allies wanted to rip Spain apart. Knowing them, quite literally. And he couldn't grow suspicious about it. He would need to be kept in the dark as long as possible. He shouldn't suspect that anyone would want to kill him.

So Switzerland would wait.

…

France looked nervous, a fact that Spain and Prussia picked up on. But Prussia was also nervous. And they knew that both of them could sense the same thing.

Germany was dead.

In France's case, he wouldn't recognise the ominous feeling, and it would be weaker, since he wasn't in his own land, and thus not near his neighbour's land. But he could still sense that something was wrong.

For Prussia, it was much worse. He had already been warned of the possibility, and Lithuania had called him to confirm it. His brother was dead.

Prussia was still connected to East Germany, and he could feel his territory expanding. If his other brothers – Hesse, Saxony and the others – were still around, they would have sensed the imbalance as well. And most likely, their lands would have separated from each other. Again. But the others had long ago died or disappeared, and part of Prussia's alliance with the others was to prevent that from happening.

"Are you okay?" Spain asked, looking between the two of them. "You both look sick."

"I don't know," France said, cocking his head slightly. "Something is wrong, but I don't know _what_."

Prussia didn't feel the need to inform his friends that he knew exactly what was wrong, so he held his tongue. It wouldn't be a good idea. Not at all. That would most likely result in them going to investigate, and potentially running into trouble. They needed to wait a while.

Prussia was still suspicious of Switzerland, and he had no idea who else could be part of the club.

…

Denmark tried to ignore the odd feeling he got from Germany as he downed yet another mug of beer. He didn't let any of the other Nordics realise that there was something wrong.

Though, he couldn't help but notice that Finland kept shooting him odd looks, as though he _knew_ that something was happening.

…

"I can't get a hold of Germany," Belgium said.

The three siblings were together, and all of them were worried about their neighbour. But it was still odd that they couldn't get a hold of Germany. And they wondered if it had something to do with what they saw on the news.

The fact that something like this was happening so close to their own lands was concerning, and worry for their neighbour did not make them feel at ease. They wanted to go and check, but didn't know where to go or what to look for.

…

"Annoying little brother," Scotland muttered as he pulled into the driveway. "What the hell is he doing now?"

He had felt something amiss with England, and had gone to check. The fact that he had passed several accidents did not make him feel relaxed. And there was also something else that was bothering him.

He could feel a shift – politically. It was as though the United Kingdom was breaking apart, and England was in the middle of it all.

He killed the engine and stalked to the door. He had the key, so he pulled it out and placed it in the lock, only to freeze.

The door was already unlocked.

With a feeling of unease, Scotland opened the door, trying to sense his brother.

"Artie?" he called out. "Are you here?"

There was no answer, and he instinctively knew that he shouldn't have expected one. Swallowing nervously, he walked into the house.

He listened closely for an intruder, but there was no one. And that meant that England wasn't there either. He looked around, saving England's room for last. He hesitated, before opening the door.

And his eyes widened in shock.

England was lying on his bed, but the state that he was in… His wrists were tied to the bed, his throat slit and his tongue cut out. And that wasn't the worst. There was a message on the wall, written in England's blood.

 _The end has begun_.

…

Wales was working on his computer when his phone rang. He jumped in surprise, before he answered the device.

"Yeah?" he prompted.

"Will…" Scotland's voice said. "It's… oh god… It's Arthur."

"What's wrong? It's not like you to sound worried."

"He… He's dead."

Wales felt his stomach drop.

"What do you mean, dead?" he asked.

"Someone murdered him! And his body is completely empty. Can't you sense it?"

He could, in fact, and had been trying to ignore it.

"Have you called Finn yet?" Wales asked.

"No. Could you? I'm going to call Patrick."

"Alright."

Wales disconnected the call, but instead of calling Northern Ireland, he called someone else.

"Scotland found England's body," Wales said. "It's only a matter of time before more trouble comes."

…

Washington DC was swamped with calls from the other states, demanding information about America. They could all sense that something was wrong, and as the capital, they expected DC to handle it.

He hadn't had a chance to leave the White House yet, and once he had the chance, he rushed away, making his way to America's house, which was only a few blocks away.

There was a shift happening, and DC didn't like it. And when his siblings called him, he could feel a disconnection from them. Something that was still happening.

Taking stock of everything, he knocked on America's door.

"Alfred!" he called out. "Are you there?"

There was no answer, and growing worried, he removed his own set of keys, looking for the one that would unlock America's front door. Once he found it, he placed it in the keyhole and froze.

The door was already unlocked.

Swallowing nervously, DC opened the door.

"Hello?" he called out nervously.

When he entered the living room, he screamed.

What he found was a mangled corpse. It was almost unrecognisable as a human body, if not for the fact that the face was intact, save for a bullet hole. And even though the glasses were gone, there was no doubt about who this was.

As he realised that he was staring at the corpse of his brother, DC turned away, emptying the contents of his stomach. It… It shouldn't be possible.

He screamed, sinking to the floor. But then, he heard something from above him. He looked up, eyes widening when he saw who it was.

"M-Mexico?" he muttered.

She smirked, the gun pointed at his head.

…

The Africans went to work, discussing how they would handle the meeting the day after the next. It was important that everything went well.

Those that had arrived early were at the host's house, while those that couldn't be there at present were on webcam. Just as long as everyone could discuss what to do, and how they would do it.

"They're not going to take us seriously."

"What do you suggest we do?"

"Show them that we're completely serious about it, and that we're _not_ to be taken lightly."

…

Quebec sighed, listening to Louisiana on the other side.

"I understand, mon amie," he said. "But we're a bit occupied as well. Canada is sick."

"Is he okay?" Louisiana asked.

"Well, I haven't seen him myself, but I believe so. He's in great hands, after all."

"And what about America?"

Quebec bit his lip. He had been briefed of the situation, and didn't want to share his knowledge with the American state. For her safety.

"Tell you what," he said. "By the end of the week, if it hasn't improved, go check on him."

"But…"

"It's too soon to be sure of anything. It might be nothing serious. So wait a while, before you get worried and make a mistake."

"…I… I guess you're right. Merci, mon ami."

Quebec disconnected the call, before he frowned worriedly. He had passed on the message to the other provinces, and they always texted him whenever one of America's states called them. It was something truly serious.

But they didn't know what it was yet, and the Canadians couldn't tell them. It would only cause problems.

Quebec sighed, before he called Canada's number.

…

Canada was asleep, and his lover was watching over him, stroking his hair. The European gave a small smile. Canada always looked so angelic when asleep.

He jumped when Canada's phone rang, and he looked at the screen. He could have ignored it, but the caller-ID revealed that it was Quebec calling, Canada's assistant.

"Olivier," he greeted.

"Damjan? Where's Mathieu?"

"He's sleeping. Understandable. He had a rough day yesterday. Is there something you need?"

"Just a report. The American states are in an uproar. They can sense that something is wrong, and not just because of the spike in deaths. They've reported that they feel a divide between them."

"So, in other words, the United States aren't feeling so united anymore. Anything else?"

"…Is Mathieu going to be alright?"

"Yes." He smiled. "Romania managed to heal him. He just needs his rest."

"That's a relief. Merci."

He smiled as he disconnected the call, before turning his attention back to Canada. The North American was one of the few members of their group that had regions. For some strange reason, there were other regions that simply disappeared. Romania had reported it with his regions, and especially Transylvania seemed to be vulnerable. In fact, until his disappearance, Transylvania had seemed almost traumatised.

Knowing what they now knew, it was possible that the other group had something to do with it. But they needed to learn more. Including the identities of their members. Their intentions. And what they'd done in the past.

…

North Korea was on a boat, on his way to South Korea, when he received a call. He quickly pulled out his phone, smiling when he saw the name of his ally.

"Hey," he greeted.

"Sorry, were you in the process of something?"

"In transit. How can I help you?"

"I was wondering if you could do us a favour."

…

Italy and Romano were sitting in their office, a map open in front of them.

"The neighbouring nations should be feeling that something's wrong," Italy said. "And it's only a matter of time before the rest of the world becomes aware."

"We've dealt with the biggest threats," Romano said. "Only France, China and Russia remain."

"And Canada. Any luck on finding him?"

"None. And considering the fact that Mexico had been rather chatty…"

"Do you think there's something we might have overlooked?"

"If there is, then we'll need to remedy it."

 **Okay, so starting next chapter, when referring to certain nations, I'll be using their human names. This is particularly the case with OCs. I'll explain my reasons next chapter.**

 **And an Amélie reference as well.**


	5. Chapter 4

**Thanks to AquaEclipse for reviewing.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 4**

Black and White South Africa were busy getting the conference room ready for the African meeting that would take place in the next hour. It was almost time for the early birds to arrive, though there was a chance that they might already be there, enjoying the tearoom.

They both placed manila folders on each place, with the first page being a contract that they needed to get the vast majority of the nations to sign.

They both looked up when the doors opened, and White smiled.

"Hey there, Theresa," she greeted. "You're early."

"Anything I can help with?" the other asked.

"Not really," Black said.

"…Do you think we'll find any?"

White sighed.

"If they really _did_ scheme, and they have allies all over the world, then there _should_ be some of them here," she said. "And we'll be able to root them out. Patrício and Tiago are good at that."

The other woman nodded her head, before looking around.

"So, where should I sit?" she asked.

"It doesn't matter," Black said. "Vlad explained to us that it wouldn't matter if one of _us_ signed the contract. We're already a part of this. Only Patrício and Tiago need to sit at a specific point."

She nodded her head, before taking her seat. All that was left was to wait.

…

"The Africans are having their meeting now," the leader said.

Romania, Canada, and Damjan looked up when the leader said it.

"Do you think we can identify a few of Mexico's allies?" Canada asked.

"That's the hope," the leader said. "I have faith that they'll be able to handle it. After all, some of our more cunning minds are in Africa. Including our kinesics experts."

"And if they end up being as dangerous as Mexico?" Romania asked.

"As cunning as they are, they can also be pretty savage when it comes to combat."

…

The two South Africas looked over the room, seeing the nations gathered there. They turned to each other and nodded.

"Now that everyone's here, we can begin," Black said. "Everyone, open your folders."

There was a shuffle as everyone did so. And there was a moment's silence before all hell broke loose.

"What the hell is this?!"

"What's the big idea?!"

"Is this some kind of joke?!"

They allowed this to continue for a while, before someone else stood up.

"If you'll all shut up, we'll explain."

The room fell silent, most likely due to the shock of who had spoken.

"Morocco?" Algeria asked.

Morocco grinned, before looking over to the South Africans.

"We're part of a group of nations that have been working in the shadows to change the natural order of things," Morocco said. "We are an empire. And those contracts… They are to expand our territories."

"We're giving you a choice," Angola said, standing as well. "Either you sign this contract and join our empire peacefully, _or_ we'll take your territories by force. And I'm sure you remember what happened the last time you became part of an empire."

Several nations flinched. Others were glaring hatefully.

"This is ridiculous!" Botswana shouted. "Themba, I thought you and Anika couldn't work together. Especially after Apartheid."

"Are you seriously going to forget everything that happened then?" Zimbabwe asked.

"Apartheid?" Black repeated, before he grinned. "Let me tell you all a little secret. Apartheid was an experiment to see how much we can influence our people. A lot, to be honest. It worked out even better than planned, that even after a quarter of a century, people still hate each other."

Many of them became horrified at Black's statement.

"It also had another purpose," White said. "While everyone was so focused on that trivial matter, we were able to continue with our plans in peace. It helps that a lot of nations decided that they wanted nothing to do with us. Less possible interferences."

"And what about the Border War?" Namibia demanded.

"Just a distraction," Angola said, smiling.

"Now, if that's all…" Morocco began.

"To hell with it!" Sierra Leone shouted. "You expect us to simply sign these contracts and give our freedom away?!"

"Pretty much," Black said.

"Well, let me show you what I think about _that_."

Sierra Leone tore the contract, before shrieking in pain. Morocco smirked.

"Those contracts are enchanted," she explained. "Tear them, you tear each of your organs. Burn them, you cook from the inside. Drench them, and intense internal bleeding. Crumple them, and you crush your organs."

Eyes widened, and many of them were looking at the contracts with new horror.

"There's… there's still no reason why we should sign," Nigeria said, trying to sound brave.

"It's just the four of you," Niger said, agreeing. "We can handle you."

"Are you sure?"

Many nations jumped in surprise when they heard the sound of someone new, and many more paled when they saw the nation that entered the room, closing the door behind him.

"North Korea…" Tunisia whispered.

North smirked, before he glanced over to Sierra Leone.

"I've seen what happened," he said. "If you sign, I'd be more than happy to get you treatment. It might not kill you permanently, but ruptured organs are still a painful method."

Sierra glared at him, before she signed a fresh contract that Angola had placed in front of her. North nodded, before he grabbed her arm and the contract and led her towards the door, closing it behind him.

"So, you have North Korea with you," Libya said. "Who else?"

"We're not at liberty to discuss our other members," White said. "But we have a few dozen members from all over the world."

Mozambique shuddered, before she grabbed her pen and signed. The ones nearest her turned to her in shock.

"What are you doing?" Namibia demanded.

"It's better to just submit," Mozambique said. "I don't want a bloody takeover."

Some of the nations shuddered, and turned to their contracts. Namibia looked up between Angola and the two South Africans and signed as well.

"I'm pressured from two sides," she muttered. "I can't… I can't go through that again."

Lesotho and Swaziland exchanged looks, before signing as well. White smiled.

"Good boys," she said.

…

North led Sierra out, and once the door was closed, he turned to her in concern.

"That was a reckless move," he said.

She shrugged, rubbing her abdomen.

"We figured it would be better to have one of us get hurt," Sierra said. "That way, we show them how serious we are, _and_ we don't hurt an innocent."

North sighed, shaking his head.

"You Africans worry me sometimes," he said.

"Hey, the ends justify the means," Sierra said.

"…Come on. Let's go get your wounds tended to."

…

Equatorial Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Sao Tomé and Príncipe, Cape Verde, Ghana, Kenya, Benin, Comoros, Mauritius and Seychelles had all signed the contracts. The four standing at the front of the room were smiling at the results.

"At least some of you have strong survival instincts," Black said. "Good job."

Seychelles whimpered, grabbing Mauritius's hand. It was clear that the islands felt that they didn't have a choice.

Botswana and Zimbabwe glanced at each other, before signing as well. Madagascar bit her lip, before signing too.

"I just want to know something," Egypt said, glaring at the four. "You said you've been plotting this a long time. Why reveal yourselves now?"

"Why not?" White asked. "So, are you going to sign?"

Egypt sneered, before shaking his head.

Angola walked over to two nations, leaning down between them.

"How many?" she whispered.

"Thirty-three still need to sign," Tiago whispered.

"Still too many," Patrício said.

Angola bit her lip, before she started circling the table, asking the nations if they were going to sign. Some of them shook their heads, while others, like Rwanda and Burundi, signed at the extra intimidation.

When she passed Kenya, the other grabbed her shirt.

"You guys are being a bit aggressive, aren't you?" Kenya whispered.

"There's a reason for that," Angola whispered. "We'll explain soon."

When Angola returned to the others, ten nations had signed.

"Looks like it's time for plan B," Angola muttered.

"Tell me something," White said, addressing the room at large, "what do you think is going to happen if you sign those contracts?"

"Total loss of freedom," Zambia said.

"Being controlled," Algeria said.

"What if we offer you something to sweeten the deal?" Black asked. "Something that neither your former colonisers nor your human bosses ever allowed?"

"What could you _possibly_ offer us?" Burkina Faso asked.

Morocco and Black smiled, turning to each other. To everyone's surprise, they started making out in front of them.

"The option of having a relationship with whoever you want," White said. "Regardless of politics. As you can see, Themba and Imane are in a relationship, and…"

White cut herself off, staring at the two whose make-out session had become a lot more heated. White cleared her throat.

"Need I remind you that there are _children_ here?" she asked. "That's enough, for now."

The two pulled away, and Black chuckled.

"You're just upset because your lover is in South America at the moment," Black said.

"Both of your lovers," Morocco smiled.

Angola and White narrowed their eyes, but while they were distracted, Cameroon, Chad, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Congo, Senegal, South Sudan and Tunisia signed.

"If you're trying to _encourage_ us to pursue our love-lives," Namibia said, narrowing her eyes, "why are you telling _them_ to stop?"

"Because _I'm_ the one who had to share a house with them last night while they were making up for lost time," White snapped. "Finland recently gave me some of his music to listen to, but it _still_ wasn't enough to drown them out."

There were a few snickers, and a few winces of sympathy. But in another corner, two nations were glaring.

"They're good," one whispered. "It was a good trick."

"Luckily, the two of us are immune," the other whispered.

"What are we going to do if they're trying to force _us_ to sign?"

The second looked down at the contract, feeling a wave of anger and disgust. He wanted to rip it to shreds, but doing so would only injure him.

"We'll need to make our escape, then," the second said. "We'll risk exposing ourselves, but we can't allow them to capture us."

North Korea entered, Sierra Leone following him. She took her seat, while the Asian walked over to his allies. But as he was on his way, someone grabbed him by the shirt.

"Only fifteen left," he whispered.

North nodded, before going towards the others and passing on the message. They grew sombre and nodded.

"Alright then," Black said, looking over at the others. "Looks like there are only fifteen that have yet to sign. And so, we're going to answer a certain question. Why _now_?"

"A few days ago, we were made aware of another group operating in the shadows," White said. "One whose methods and goals seem to be in opposition to ours."

There were looks of confusion, but a small number of nations grew tense.

"America, England, Germany and Japan are dead," Morocco explained.

"What?!" Namibia exclaimed.

"It can't be!" Liberia shouted.

"You're lying!" Botswana shouted.

"Unfortunately, we're not," White said, clicking a remote.

The screen went on, showing that they had prepared the projector and had placed it on 'mute'. And the image on the screen earned a scream from Namibia.

"Germany's the only one we could get close to in order to get the picture," White continued. "But we've managed to confirm that the other three are dead as well. We learned of America's death first, but his attacker was still there, and one of our own members was attacked, but not without revealing the presence of the other group."

Someone in the room whispered 'Canada'.

"There were two reasons why we decided to do this," Angola said. "First, to get our plans underway, having a large number of nations under our control would be a help. And second, to root out any potential members of the other group."

"And how do you plan to do _that_?" Zimbabwe asked.

"Simple," Black said. "Those contracts bind you through magic. You abandon all previous alliances. And if the other group has the same loyalty to each other that we do, then they wouldn't even want to _look_ at those contracts."

"The very idea of those contracts would repulse them," White said. "And, more than that, they would be physically incapable of signing. We might have slipped in something in the last minute for that purpose."

"Okay, sounds great," Algeria said. "But how are you even supposed to know? Compare who signed?"

"Something like that. Tell me, what do you know about non-verbal communication?"

The room was confused, and White turned her attention to Sao Tomé and Príncipe.

"Perhaps you two can explain, since you're experts at it," White said.

"Of course," Sao Tomé said, smiling easily. "Non-verbal communication conveys far more information than you might realise. Your body posture, facial expressions, eyes… Even if you try to school your expressions, it's obvious to someone looking carefully that you're hiding something. Right, Patrício?"

"That's right, Tiago," Príncipe said. "And right now, some of you are schooling your features."

"What's the meaning of this?" Nigeria demanded.

"We had reason to suspect that some of the other group's members are here," Angola said. "Knowing this, did you _honestly_ think we'd reveal the identities of _everyone_ on our side?"

"What?" several of them exclaimed.

"There are still a few of our members among you," Black said. "And a few that knew about our actions, but have been sworn to secrecy and thankfully kept that promise."

"And above all," Morocco said, "we needed to keep you all busy while our two kinesics experts analysed your reactions."

"With everything we just revealed, no one is going to pay attention to two islands," Sao Tomé said.

"And how would you even know if someone is truly a member of this group?" Somalia asked. "Are you comparing who didn't sign? What if you miss someone?"

"We have a master list," Príncipe said. "Every time one of you signs the contract, your signatures appear next to your names. After that, we can mostly dismiss the ones that signed and pay attention to the ones that _didn't_ sign."

"And it's also interesting to note _when_ you signed and what the reactions were during those times," Sao Tomé said. "The first group signed because you were intimidated. The same with the second group, but you signed when Angela went to you directly. We paid attention to each person that she passed. And then the last group signed when you saw Themba and Imane's display."

"Looks like we have a few lovebirds."

Some of the nations blushed, but no one was paying them any mind.

"There's something we also paid attention to," Sao Tomé said. "A few of you had different emotions from the others at certain periods. Themba and Imane… that's when we noticed the biggest difference. A few of you were annoyed, while the majority was shocked."

"Who hasn't signed yet?" White asked.

"Algeria," Príncipe said, "DRC, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia."

"And of those, who do you suspect are members of that group?"

The two islands pursed their lips.

"Egypt," Sao Tomé said.

"What?!" Egypt demanded, standing up. "On what grounds?"

"When you first saw the contracts," Príncipe said, "you were _impressed_. And the way your eyes flashed… you were regretting not thinking about this sooner. You also had the same look on your face when Sierra tore the contract, revealing the negative effects. And even if it was for only a split second, you couldn't help a small smile."

Egypt's jaw dropped.

"We also have reason to suspect Ethiopia and Somalia," Sao Tomé said. "The way you pursed your lips when you saw Themba and Imane… and it might have been subtle, but you moved closer to each other."

"You two are together, aren't you?" Príncipe asked.

"And what if we are?" Ethiopia asked. "It doesn't make us part of that other group."

"If there even _is_ another group," Somalia added.

"Then why did you look panicked when we mentioned them?" Sao Tomé asked.

Ethiopia and Somalia looked surprised.

"There's also something else," Príncipe said. "Someone muttered a name. 'Canada'. It was Libya."

All eyes turned to Libya, whose own were widened.

"What?" he asked.

"When we said that one of our members was attacked you said 'Canada'," Príncipe said. "With everything else, most people wouldn't have noticed it. We didn't mention who was attacked."

"So what?!" Eritrea snapped. "Just because Mexico attacked your friend, you're going to accuse Lucero of…"

"We also didn't say that Mexico was the one that attacked Canada," Sao Tomé said.

Eritrea snapped his mouth shut, looking pale.

"And with that, the last person that we suspected," Príncipe said.

The five mentioned nations simply stared in shock, while the rest were watching them. Finally, Egypt burst out into laughter, but they could tell that it was out of hysteria.

"You're clever," Egypt said. "We _did_ underestimate you. And you're pretty observant, identifying all five of us."

Egypt smirked, and his entire demeanour seemed to change. The same could be said about the other four, who grew cold.

"But now that you've identified us," Egypt said, "what do you intend to do?"

Black, White, Angola, Morocco and North glared at him.

"You're coming with us," Black said. "We're going to have a little _chat_."

Egypt shook his head.

"Not likely," he said, removing his phone.

"Who do you think you're calling?" Angola demanded, moving forward.

"No call," Egypt said. "Nor text."

There was silence for a moment, but then they heard it. The sound of thunder. Some of them glanced towards the window, surprised because it had been sunny before the meeting. But the skies were clear.

That was when they realised what it was.

"Bombs?!" White screamed.

 **Okay, so the reason why certain names are obscure… part of the plot is the two groups trying to identify the members of the other group. I also want to know if you can figure out which nations are in which group.**


	6. Chapter 5

**Thanks to and AquaEclipse for reviewing.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 5**

White had moved to the window, seeing the city of Cape Town being bombed. She growled, before turning to Egypt.

"What the _fok_ do you think you're doing?!" she shrieked.

"Interesting," Egypt said. "I wonder if it's because there are two of you and three capitals, or because you're like us. One way to find out."

He did something on his phone again, and North Korea ran for it. Egypt managed to get it out of his way, but he looked over towards them with interest.

"So, you _are_ like us," Egypt said. "You're unaffected by attacks on your lands. Even your capitals."

"What…" North started, before he widened his eyes. "You attacked Pyongyang?!"

"And Luanda… And Rabat…"

"You bastard!" Angola shouted.

"But it looks like we're going to have to take another route then," Egypt said.

Everyone jumped when Lesotho screamed, turning to him. He was curled up, clutching his chest. Blood dripped from his mouth.

"Bastard…" Black muttered, glaring at Egypt.

Libya, Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia made their way towards Egypt, who smirked.

"We'll be taking the ones that hadn't signed," Egypt said, holding his hand up, fingers poised to snap.

Egypt snapped his fingers, and they, along with five other nations disappeared.

"Huh?" Angola asked. "Where'd they go?"

"Shit," Morocco said. "I forgot about Egypt's magic."

Sierra frowned, looking towards Mauritania sitting next to her.

"I thought you didn't sign," she said.

"Made it… just in time," Mauritania said. "Figured _they'd_ be safer than Egypt's group."

Sierra smiled, and there was another explosion, making the entire building shake. White paled.

"There are bombs in _this_ building!" she exclaimed.

Hearing that, everyone started to panic. Black made his way to Lesotho, who was whimpering in pain, and effortlessly picked up the child nation.

"We need to get out of here," Black said.

"How?!" Namibia demanded. "In case you hadn't noticed, your entire city is being bombed!"

"Caio!" White exclaimed.

"I'm working on it," Equatorial Guinea said, eyes closed and a faint aura surrounding him.

There was another explosion, and they could see the cracks appearing in the room. A few seconds later, there was a flash of light.

Everyone blinked in surprise when they could no longer hear the sounds of explosions, nor feel the building threatening to collapse.

"Is everyone alright?" White asked, reaching for a piece of paper. "Thanks for bringing the contracts too."

Equatorial Guinea nodded, before he swayed. Guinea grabbed him before he could collapse.

"What's going on?" Guinea demanded.

"Caio's proficient in magic as well," White said. "He transported us to another location. Durban, if I'm not mistaken."

"So… Does that mean he's part of your group too?"

"Yep," Angola said, turning to White. "Now what?"

"Well, we're going to need to do damage control on our capitals, before it's too late," White said. "Themba, can I trust you to take care of Nkau?"

"Of course," Black said, carrying Lesotho.

"Theresa, I need you to report what happened. Can you do that?"

All eyes turned to Mozambique, who nodded her head.

"And the rest of you…" White said. "We're a few blocks away from the beach. I know you don't have your luggage, but there _should_ be something for everyone. Tiago, Patrício, can I trust you to play chaperone?"

"Of course," Sao Tomé and Príncipe said simultaneously.

"Wait, hold on a minute!" Tunisia said. "What's going on here? We still don't know a lot of what…"

"Let's handle this tonight," White sighed. "We've got more pressing problems to worry about."

Black stormed off with Lesotho in his arms, and the others shrank back. Whatever they wanted to know, it could wait.

…

Egypt's group ended up in a living room, and the five of them quickly grabbed the five they had brought along. Egypt frowned when he saw that there were only five of them, and not ten like before.

"Where are we?" Nigeria demanded.

"Shut up," Egypt said, tightening his grip on Nigeria's arm.

Nigeria, DRC, Algeria, Sudan and Uganda. To think, they ended up with _them_.

"What's going on here?"

They turned to see Vatican, which was expected, as it was Vatican's house. He looked at the five additional Africans in confusion.

"Where are your brothers?" Egypt demanded. "We've got some disturbing news to report. And we brought gifts along."

"Gifts?" Sudan repeated.

"They're in the office," Vatican said. "I'll call them. In the meantime, there's a room you can dump them in."

"Thanks," Ethiopia said, dragging Sudan off.

…

The leader listened closely on the phone, lips pursed together. He listened intently as Mozambique explained what had happened.

"So, we were right to assume that there are members in Africa," he said. "Have you managed to learn anything else?"

"They had bombs planted beforehand," Mozambique said. "I don't know when they did it, but the entire Cape Town is in flames. And if they're to be believed, they wouldn't be able to feel an attack to their lands, same as us."

"We'll need to investigate. See if we can find any bombs in our own lands. We wouldn't want to cause too much damage. And we don't need our capitals in jeopardy."

"What should we do with the other Africans?"

"Keep them for a few days. There's a chance that Egypt's group would go after them. And until we can be sure that we have ways to monitor them…"

"Understood."

…

Italy and Romano listened intently to what Egypt and the others had to say. Seborga, San Marino and Vatican were also listening. After the explanation was finished, there was a moment of silence.

"So, Canada was a member of the other group," Romano said. "And that explains why news hasn't spread yet. They're at risk of exposure too."

"And North Korea," Italy said. "South will be interested in hearing that."

"What should we do?" Egypt asked.

"Well, I have to admit, even though it's an inconvenience, I'm curious about this other group," Romano said. "I also can't help but be impressed. We've never received information that would indicate their existence."

"And they had no idea until Canada was attacked," Somalia said.

"We might have equal opponents. And, if we can manage it, powerful allies."

"You think we can persuade them to our side?" Italy asked.

"Perhaps. But we'll need to find out what their motives are. If we can work together, I don't see why we shouldn't."

"And if we _can't_?" Seborga asked.

"…Like I said, we might have equal opponents. It might be interesting to see which group is stronger. Whose ideals are greater, and who would sacrifice the most in order to realise those ideals."

Italy smirked.

"It sounds like fun," he said. "Like a game. So, any idea how we're going to play this game?"

"We'll need one of _them_ first," Romano said.

"What are we going to do with the five prisoners?" Vatican asked.

"We don't know how many of them there are," Italy said. "You're saying that the ones in Africa outnumbered you?"

"That's right," Ethiopia said. "Six of them were revealed, but they mentioned that not everyone showed themselves. And that there were those that knew about their plans and were sworn to secrecy."

"We don't know if Africa has the most members, fewest members, or if it's divided proportionally," Italy said. "Which means there's a chance that their entire organisation might outnumber ours. In that case, it might be a good idea to bolster our numbers. And the easiest way to do that…"

…

"Open up," Black said, holding out a thermometer for Lesotho.

The younger nation opened his mouth, accepting the tool. Black checked Lesotho's blood pressure in the meantime.

"Blood pressure's pretty low," Black muttered. "We might need to…"

Lesotho started coughing, and Black turned his head to the side, removing the thermometer. The enclave tasted blood, and when he opened his eyes after his fit subsided, the pillow was full of red specks.

"You have a light fever," Black said. "We also need to get the blood out, so if you feel a cough coming, don't hesitate. If it gets worse, we'll tend to it another way."

Lesotho nodded, before turning tired eyes to Black.

"You said… Apartheid was an experiment," he said. "Is it… true? Did you… willingly do that to… yourself?"

Black paused for a moment, before he sighed.

"It's a bit more complicated than that," Black said. "We did use it as an experiment, but… Tell me, do you know what happens if there are two people representing the same nation?"

"Not really," Lesotho admitted.

"The weaker one eventually dies, and the stronger one becomes the sole representative of the nation. And at the time, it was Anika. We already saw the others die – Xhosa, Ndebele, Sotho, Swazi…"

"Sotho and Swazi?"

"My brothers, and your predecessor, along with Swaziland's. There's a reason why I treat _you_ as my brother. Anyway, when we realised that I was dying… Anika started to panic, and she was trying her best to think of a solution. In the end, the solution was to keep our people divided, physically and mentally. We used it as an exercise to see how much we can influence the thoughts of our people. Though, World War II ended up helping a lot."

"And… Sharpeville? Soweto?"

" _We_ weren't the ones responsible, but it _did_ further the divide. The resentment that it caused… It's what's kept the both of us alive for all these years. Though, separating from our people definitely worked. Seeing as one of our other members is… _was_ , in a similar predicament, it turned out useful for us. Though, we _have_ been working independent of our people for a long time."

"How long? And… Since when do you and Anika get along?"

"The only time we _didn't_ was Blood River and before that. When it was over, we started getting closer. She was already part of the group by that time, and she eventually introduced me as well."

"And… your fights?"

"We bicker, because that's what siblings do. But if anyone else decided to mess with her, then I'll be either the first or second to come to her defence. Depends on whether or not I'm there before her boyfriend."

"And… when did you and Morocco…?"

Black looked towards him, and he chuckled when he saw the perplexed look on the child-nation's face.

"I'm serious!" Lesotho said. "It just doesn't make sense!"

"Actually, it makes more sense than you might realise."

…

Mexico's jaw dropped when she heard San Marino's words.

"What do you _mean_ , there's another group?!" she demanded.

"That explains how Canada just disappeared," San Marino said. "You're not to do anything else, except trying to root out other members of this group. See if you can find Canada's allies. But don't hurt them. Not until we know whether or not they can be _persuaded_ to join us."

She gritted her teeth. The words 'don't harm' were not among her favourites. But she couldn't exactly argue against the order.

"Fine," she grumbled. "And if it turns out that they _can't_ be persuaded?"

"If they turn out to be a threat, get rid of them," he said.

" _That_ would be my pleasure."

She disconnected the call, and felt arms encircle her from behind. She leaned into the embrace.

"What's going on?"

"Trouble," Mexico said. "We'll need to go hunting for rats."

…

South Korea felt the need to destroy something. He needed to do something about the rage he felt.

So, there was another group that operated in the shadows, and it would seem as though they employed at least some of the things _they_ did. And to make matters worse, North Korea was a member.

South, along with all the other members, had to go around the nations and see if they were members of that group. And they needed to learn what their goals were. Until then, they needed to take things slowly.

It wasn't hard to imagine that all of them were a bit disappointed. They had been observing the other nations _very_ closely, and couldn't imagine that there were others conspiring in the shadows. South was especially disappointed that he hadn't noticed North being a member.

He needed to correct that.

They needed to find the members of the other group, and if necessary, they needed to eliminate them. Because, based on Egypt's report, they could pose an even greater threat than the G7.

…

China made his way through Tokyo, Macau and Hong Kong by his side. A few of China's provinces had told him that he needed to get to Japan. The prefectures had called them, explaining that something horrible had happened to Japan, but they wouldn't go into detail.

That just made China more nervous.

"What do you think happened?" Macau asked.

"I don't know," China said. "But I don't like it."

"You don't think Japan is sick or hurt, do you?" Hong Kong asked. "Or… do you think that the provinces and prefectures are pulling a prank?"

"If it _is_ a prank, then they're going to pay for it."

They said nothing more until they arrived at Japan's house, and China sighed before he rang the doorbell.

They waited for a short while before someone opened. Saitama stood there with red-rimmed eyes, and it was jarring for the other three to see the normally cheerful prefecture looking so sad.

"So… you came," Saitama said, smiling sadly.

"What's going on?" Macau asked.

Saitama clenched his eyes shut, before he opened them again.

"I think you need to see for yourself," he said.

The other three exchanged nervous looks as the prefecture led them inside. They were led further, towards Japan's room, where the other prefectures were gathered, some with tears in their eyes.

"What happened?" China asked, eyes turning to the one on the bed.

Japan was so still, so pale. And for some reason, he felt… empty.

"What happened?" China repeated.

"I found him like this two days ago," Tokyo explained.

"Two days?" Hong Kong repeated. "But… he should have been awake by now."

"There's more. Show them."

Nagasaki, who was next to the bed, bit her lip and pulled the sheets down. China let out a cry of horror when he saw the gaping hole in Japan's chest.

"I also found his heart nearby," Tokyo said. "And… it looks like there's a chunk missing. That someone bit a piece of the heart. Who… who would do such a thing?"

" _Why_ would someone do this?" Kyoto demanded.

"Someone wanted to kill Japan," China said. "Permanently. A nation. But… I didn't think that anyone still knew _how_."

"What do you mean?" Macau asked.

"Back in my… less civilised days, we nations would do anything to get more land. Including killing other nations. And one of the methods we learned about was to carve out our target's heart and eat a piece of it, or the whole thing. To ensure that someone _stays_ dead."

"And… someone did _that_ to Japan?" Hong Kong asked, looking sick.

"It seems like it. But _why_?"

As everyone turned to look at Japan, one of them looked at the dead nation with an analytical gaze, knowing _exactly_ who and why.

…

"Understood," he said, hanging up the phone.

He was supposed to investigate the other Nordics. See if any of them were members of that group that deceived them. He had to admit, he was impressed. He didn't think that _anyone_ would be able to deceive them.

As he returned to the living room, he couldn't help but scrutinise each of the others, wondering who was not who he seemed.

…

"I think your approach could have used a bit of work," Kenya said.

Kenya and Sierra Leone were in the kitchen, busying themselves with dinner preparations. After the day that they had, they felt that everyone deserved a nice dinner.

"What exactly would you have suggested?" Sierra asked.

"For starters, _not_ having papers that would damage our organs if we damaged them," Kenya said. "Unless you were _lying_ about that?"

"Nope. No lies. If someone else was stupid enough to do it, then we needed to be consistent. Luckily, no one did it before I demonstrated."

"That's all it is, _luck_. If someone else did?"

"We had medical staff ready, just in case."

"And bringing in North Korea? As far as everyone knows, he's a psychopath."

"Actually, it's South who's the psychopath. We suspect that he's the one that killed Japan."

"Do you have any proof?"

"The way he can fool everyone into thinking he's the _nice_ one."

Kenya sighed.

"I get that you were trying to root out the other group's members," she said. "But was it really necessary to go to such lengths? Are they really that much of a threat?"

Sierra sighed.

" _You_ didn't hear the report," she said. "We said that Mexico attacked Canada. Before that, she killed America. And Canada explained what she did to the body."

"Is it… that bad?" Kenya asked.

"Long story short, we know that Mexico likes to indulge in cannibalism."

Kenya gasped in shock, almost dropping the knife with which she was chopping vegetables. Sierra only nodded.

"That… That's horrible," Kenya said. "And… did she do the same to Canada?"

"He managed to get away in time."

"Good."

Kenya leaned against the kitchen counter, feeling sick to her stomach.

"I guess I can understand the reason why you did it the way you did," she said. "You can't afford to look weak in front of those others."

…

Prussia was walking behind France and Spain, feeling more than a bit nervous. France had decided that he had enough of feeling so uncomfortable, and dragged them all on a train from Madrid to Berlin. Prussia knew what they would find.

"Finally," France said, climbing the porch steps to the front door. "We're here."

Prussia had to unlock the door, and once he opened the door, the three of them cried out in shock.

"What the hell?!" Prussia yelled.

 **Prussia didn't have to pretend** _ **too**_ **hard in the end. He knew that Germany had died, but actually** _ **seeing**_ **it…**


	7. Chapter 6

**Thanks to , Eternal Nexus Warrior and AquaEclipse for reviewing.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 6**

"Who would do something like this?" Scotland demanded.

He, Wales, Ireland and Northern Ireland were gathered in England's kitchen, still in shock about their brother being murdered. And the fact that it was the permanent kind of death made them all nervous.

"I don't know," Wales said. "Do you think it might have been another nation?"

"But who would hate Arthur enough to do… _that_?" North asked.

"Well, there are still a few nations with a grudge against him," Ireland said. "It might have been one of them."

Before anyone else could say anything, Scotland's phone gave a shrill cry, alerting him to a message. He picked up the phone and frowned.

"It's from France," he said. "He called an urgent world meeting in Paris the day after tomorrow."

"Any idea what it's about?" Ireland asked.

"No idea. But something tells me that it can't be good."

…

Alaska was pacing nervously. She didn't like the uncertainty that she was feeling. The fear.

She could sense it, and she knew that the others could sense it too. The United States of America was no more. And Maryland and Virginia had reported that both America and DC had been killed, and they also said that the bodies were mutilated.

Alaska was so far from the others. She was the last to hear of something like this. And if whatever – or _who_ ever – had killed America and DC were after the rest of them, then Alaska was in a vulnerable position. She was isolated from the rest, and even if her lands offered protection, there was a chance that it wouldn't be enough.

All of the states were becoming independent – they could all feel it. And that thought scared Alaska. Her instincts told her that she didn't want to be an independent nation, not while they were unsure about what was going on.

She had a choice to make, and she only hoped that it was the right one.

…

"Does it still hurt?" Damjan asked, running his hand over Canada's formerly-injured skin.

"No, not really," Canada said, smiling. "Vlad is good at this kind of thing."

"I'm glad," Damjan said, leaning up to kiss Canada. "If she had succeeded…"

Canada closed his hand around the other's, feeling similar. If someone had hurt his lover the same way he had been hurt…

His phone ringing dragged him from those thoughts, and he raised an eyebrow when he saw who was calling.

"Alaska?" he questioned.

Damjan waited patiently as Canada spoke on the phone, wondering what the American state could want with him. Then again, she might have just been calling to hear if Canada knew about what was happening to America.

"Are you sure?" Canada asked, his face betraying his surprise. "Well… Okay. Yeah, I wouldn't mind. And I think you're right. I think you should head to somewhere you know is safe. Perhaps you should go to Quebec… Alright then."

Canada hung up the phone, a puzzled expression on his face.

"What is it?" Damjan asked. "What did she want?"

"She… she asked me if she could be Canadian," Canada said.

Damjan stared at him.

"Huh?"

"Yeah," Canada said. "She says that they're all gaining independence. The United States aren't united anymore. And she's worried. Her instincts are telling her that it would be a bad idea to be independent."

"Well… If they're going after nations, then that state has good instincts. Or, should I call her a province now?"

"I just need to call Olivier to warn him about the situation. He'll know what to do."

Damjan chuckled.

"I wish I had a region that I could use as a secretary," he said.

And he wondered, not for the first time, what _did_ happen to his regions.

…

"That stupid France!" Haiti exclaimed, staring at the message on his phone. "Why would he give this on such a short notice?"

He was _not_ impressed with the notification of a world meeting, especially if it took place in France. That meant that he needed to get on a plane immediately if he wanted to make good time.

He grumbled as he started packing his bag, and he cursed as the phone rang. He was about to cuss out the person on the other end, until he saw who it was. He frowned, but calmed down and answered.

"Oui?" he prompted.

He listened to the voice on the other end, and his eyes widened in shock.

…

China looked down at his phone as he read the summons for an emergency meeting in Paris. He wanted to ignore it – after all, what would _France_ want? – but realised that it would be a good opportunity to alert everyone of Japan's death.

"Yao?" Macau asked. "Are you alright?"

"No, I'm not," China said. "I learned that my brother was murdered using one of the most barbaric methods among nations. Who would do it? And who else knows about that method?"

Macau bit his lip.

"I don't know," he said. "But I think there's a lot going on that we don't know."

"Well, I intend to get to the bottom of it," China huffed.

…

"So, France called for an emergency meeting," Italy said, smiling as he read the message. "Do you think he found out about England or Germany?"

"He pesters England, so it's only a matter of time that he finds out," Romano said. "And he should be able to sense something wrong with his neighbour."

"Shall we go?"

"I thought we're laying low?"

"…True. But it might be a good opportunity to see if we can identify any of our new playmates."

"… _We_ can't go. Doesn't mean that our fratelli can't go. And we've got the others there as well. And in the meantime… well, we have five prisoners to transfer."

Italy chuckled.

"That's going to be fun," he said.

…

The leader pursed his lips as he read the message that France had sent. Judging by the fact that Romania, Canada and Damjan had received the same message, it was safe to say that every nation received this email.

Prussia had told him that he was going to Berlin with France and Spain, so it was easy to imagine the reason for the summons. France always _was_ a bit impulsive, especially when he was emotional. But learning of the death of his neighbour would surely upset a nation.

"What are we going to do?" Romania asked.

"We'll go as usual," the leader said. "We'll tell the Africans to go as well, though the new territories need to be made aware of a few rules."

"I don't want Matthew to go," Damjan said.

"But…" Canada started.

"Mexico will be there, and so will her allies. I don't… I don't want them to get the chance to finish what they started."

"Damjan has a point," Romania said, glancing towards the leader.

"They now know of us, as we know of them," the leader said. "We know of six definite members, and we have two that we suspect. We need to be careful of who we trust. And they _should_ be wary of us as well."

"We also don't know how they will react to the Africans," Canada said. "They need to be careful as well."

The leader nodded, already pulling out his cell phone.

…

Mozambique listened closely to what the leader had to say, and nodded her head as she listened. Finally, she sighed.

"I understand," she said. "And I'll make sure the others understand as well. _All_ of them."

She disconnected the call, before she went to tell the others.

…

"Okay, _this_ looks tasty," Liberia said.

The others had returned from the beach, and were pleased to see that dinner was provided. Kenya and Sierra were standing there, looking proud.

"What are you waiting for?" Sierra asked. "Dig in."

They didn't need to be told twice, and they all took their seats, getting as much of the delicious-looking food as possible. For the moment, they didn't care that the nations that forced them into signing a contract pledging their allegiance to their cause were among them. After the long day, and the double betrayal, they were tired and hungry.

When the general excitement had died down and everyone was eating in peace, White cleared her throat.

"I don't know how many of you noticed that we had a summons," she said.

"Summons?" Namibia asked. "You mean, from your leader?"

"No, a world meeting. An emergency. France sent an email, and it looks like he sent it to every nation. He's not one of us."

"Then… do you have any idea what he wants?" CAR asked.

"Yes. He discovered Germany's body."

The room fell silent, the picture still in mind.

"So, what are your intentions?" Tunisia asked. "Are you going to keep us from the meeting?"

"On the contrary," White said. "We'll _all_ be leaving in two hours."

"It will cause suspicion if almost an entire continent is absent," Mozambique said. "So, you'll be going, but there are rules for you to follow. You can't speak about what you've learned about us, and it's also recommended you stay quiet about Egypt's group. The contracts prevent you from speaking about it, but just in case…"

"It's not just about our plans getting out," Black said. "It's also for your safety. At the moment, you don't know who you can trust. We've identified six members of Egypt's group, and we suspect two others."

"And how do we know that we can trust _you_?" Congo demanded.

" _We're_ not the ones that bombed an innocent nation's capital," Angola said. "And then it also happened to be a _child_ nation."

"I can't argue with that," Zimbabwe said.

"How _is_ Nkau?" Botswana asked, directing the question to Black.

"He's stable, for the moment," Black said. "He's been coughing a bit of blood, but most of the problems lie with his heart."

"Also, if you find any of _your_ capitals bombed, come to us immediately," Morocco said. "If a nation's capital receives damage like that, then the nation can be killed."

There was a wave of alarm that swept through the room.

"Are you serious?" Chad demanded.

"Unfortunately," White said. "And because of his fragile state, Lesotho is staying here. Jeng, I trust you to look after him."

The majority of the nations were confused, until North Korea nodded his head.

"We also need you to systematically cut off all ties with nations not in this room," Black said. "As we said, we don't know who you can trust. And from what we've seen them being capable of, your safety comes first."

"I… I heard something horrifying," Kenya said. "That… America was… was cannibalised."

"That's what Canada reported," White said. "And he isn't in the habit of lying. Not to us."

There was a chatter as everyone discussed this. They had seen first-hand the callousness that Egypt possessed, and the possibility of their cruelty extending to new heights only made them worried.

"Everyone needs to be careful," Mozambique said. "We don't know what they're planning, and we don't know the full extent of their cruelty."

…

The three South Americans were together on the private plane. They had been together when they received the summons to a world meeting, and thought that it would be better to go together.

They were all looking forward to seeing their lovers again. To make sure that they were fine.

While two of them chatted with each other, the third absentmindedly rubbed his chest, where a thin scar was concealed. He had been warned of the fact that their enemies indulged in the same thing that the one who gave him the scar had.

He knew of at least one person to avoid.

He couldn't wait to pull his lover into his arms. He couldn't wait to kiss her until she saw stars. And he couldn't wait to see her, just to be sure that she was really alright.

And he knew that it was the same for the other two.

…

Bulgaria was a bit disappointed. He had called Romania to ask if the other wanted to go to Paris together for the sudden meeting, but Romania had denied his request. It was a pity. So now, Bulgaria had to go alone.

It was annoying, but if Romania couldn't go with him, then it couldn't be helped. But he couldn't help but wonder why Romania had turned down his request.

…

"A world meeting," Austria huffed, packing his bag. "Honestly, what is he thinking, calling a meeting on such short notice?"

"I don't know," Hungary said, helping him with his bag. "But he'd better have a good reason, or I'm borrowing China's wok. I don't think my frying pan will be enough."

Austria shook his head, a small smile curling his lips. He truly was fond of Hungary, and was astonished how she could be so strong. He didn't know what he would do without her.

…

Spain sat down next to France, a cup of coffee in each hand. He held out one hand to France, who took the cup and cradled it in his own hands.

"How's Gil?" France asked.

"He's locked himself in the basement," Spain said. "I don't blame him. His little brother is dead. If Miguel were to die… I don't know how I would be able to stand it."

"Who would do such a thing?" France asked. "It can't be a human, so it must be a nation."

"I don't know, amigo. But it's scary. To think that another nation would do such a thing. I mean… not even during the World Wars did I see someone kill another nation so cruelly. And the country isn't even under attack."

"Except for all those accidents. It's just like Rome told us. If a nation dies without someone to take over, and outside the normal means, then a tenth of the population dies. I never thought that I would see it for myself."

Spain bit his lip, before hesitantly wrapping his arm around France. The other leaned into the hug, and Spain had to stop himself from planting a light kiss on the other's head.

No, they weren't there yet, no matter how much Spain longed to be.

He could understand France's fear. His neighbour had been killed, and France was unaware until now. It could just as easily have been him. And it could have been Spain.

The thought made him shudder. He hoped that there wouldn't be another incident like this.

…

Prussia was pacing in the basement, trying to calm his nerves. He had heard about the news from the leader and from Lithuania. But, actually _seeing_ his brother like that…

"Gil…"

Prussia turned to the window, which he had left open for Lithuania to crawl through.

"Toris," Prussia muttered.

Lithuania came over towards Prussia and wrapped him in a hug. Prussia nuzzled into Lithuania's neck, savouring the scent of his beloved.

"I am _so_ sorry about what happened," Lithuania whispered.

Prussia squeezed him tighter.

"All of my brothers…" Prussia said. "Why?"

"Well, there's still Austria," Lithuania said.

Prussia scoffed.

"The two of us haven't seen each other as brothers in a long time," he said. "And when we tell everyone what happened to Lud… I know that he's somehow going to make it _my_ fault."

Lithuania placed a tender kiss on his cheek.

"Everything will be alright," Lithuania said. "We'll find the one responsible."

"We already know _who_ did it," Prussia said.

"We know the group. I'm talking about the individual. The one that personally robbed you of your little brother."

Prussia pulled back, seeing Lithuania smile tenderly at him. Tears welled up in his eyes, and he hugged Lithuania again.

"Do you want me to stay the night?" Lithuania asked.

"Ja, bitte," Prussia said.

"Do you want me to take your mind off things?"

Prussia shook his head.

"I just need to hold you," Prussia said. "I just want to make sure that I haven't lost _everyone_ precious to me."

"You haven't lost me," Lithuania whispered. "And you never will. If anything, I should be afraid of losing _you_. I've been afraid of that for decades."

Prussia felt a jolt in his heart. That was right. Ever since he was dissolved, he knew that he was living on borrowed time. And when they were both in Russia's house, Lithuania's expression would show it often. He knew that there was a good chance that Prussia would cease to exist. It was only through the efforts of their allies that he was still alive.

But now, with Germany gone, Prussia could feel the power returning to him. The land he had lost, and more. But he hadn't wanted to regain anything if it meant losing his brother. Like the others.

Prussia guided the two of them to the bed, and he and Lithuania laid in each other's arms. The door was locked, so neither France nor Spain would be able to surprise them. For a few precious hours, the two could only be with each other.

…

Italy and Romano were in the office, discussing what they were going to do. The others could afford to wait until the next afternoon or evening before going to Paris for the meeting. And in the meantime, the two leaders could busy themselves with taking care of the prisoners.

Luckily, one of their allies had a little place in a remote region of one of his territories. Not many would venture there, and all things considered, their prisoners wouldn't last long if they were to try to escape.

The two would leave first thing in the morning, taking their cargo with them. A few of the others would be accompanying them to the private airfield to make sure that none of the five prisoners tried to escape. Seborga would also be accompanying them.

"It's annoying that _we_ have to do this," Romano said.

"That just means it's going to be more fun for us," Italy said, smirking.


	8. Chapter 7

**Thanks to Lobster, AquaEclipse and Eternal Nexus Warrior for reviewing.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 7**

Nigeria was struggling with his hands tied behind his back, and he could see that the other four were struggling as well. Italy and Romano were in the plane's cockpit, acting as the two pilots, while Seborga was watching them, his expression bored. They didn't know where they were being taken, but they knew that it couldn't be good.

They had been on the plane for a few hours, and they couldn't really see in which direction they were going. Just that it was getting colder.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the plane started to descend, and the five Africans froze. The fact that they were almost at their destination made new fear creep into their bones.

After landing, the two at front made their way towards them, and they tried to squirm away, but with their hands behind their backs, it was a bit difficult. Italy grabbed Nigeria and DRC, Romano grabbed Sudan and Uganda, and Seborga grabbed Algeria.

"Where are we?" Nigeria demanded, trying to get out of the Italian's grip as they were dragged outside.

"You'll find out soon enough," Romano said, an amused smirk on his face.

The amusement on Romano's face didn't make Nigeria feel reassured, but as Romano had said, they found out as soon as they reached the plane's door.

"Oh, hell no!" Uganda exclaimed.

In front of them was an icy wasteland. The wind blew, causing each of them to shiver. And considering the fact that they were still dressed for South African spring, it was _not_ a pleasant experience.

Nigeria hated the cold. As a nation that lived so close to the equator, he did _not_ handle cold well. Or at all. And now they were _there_ …

"Come on," Italy said, dragging them down.

It was already difficult being dragged down the steps, and Nigeria could already feel his limbs locking, his instincts trying to conserve his heat. And as soon as he felt the ice crunch under his feet, he felt his panic surge. And it was the same for the others.

Someone came out to greet them, but didn't say a word, simply escorted them into a facility nearby. Nigeria was grateful for the increase in temperature, though it still wasn't enough.

Nigeria was dragged by Italy to a room, DRC remaining behind. Nigeria noticed a chair with restraints, and as he had predicted, he was placed on the chair. His ankles were restrained first, before his hands were untied from behind his back and his wrists strapped to the chair as well.

"What is this place?" Nigeria demanded.

"Oh, we call it the Washroom," Italy said. "Which is a misnomer, since it's the entire building."

"And… What do you _do_ in the 'Washroom'?"

There was an easy smile on Italy's face, but a sadistic gleam in his eyes. Nigeria didn't like it.

"This is where we turn prisoners into recruits," Italy said.

Nigeria's eyes widened. Washroom…

"Brainwashing," he whispered.

"Oh, so you figured it out?" Italy asked. "You're smart, then. That would make breaking you more enjoyable."

"I will _never_ break!" Nigeria snapped, struggling against his bonds.

"That's what they all say. But in the end… they can't help but see things our way. Do you want to know a secret? You won't remember it afterwards, but it might help you hold on a little longer. And make things more amusing for us."

Italy leaned closer, making Nigeria nervous.

"A mind that has succumbed to madness is very pliant," Italy said. "I know that America has this room that can drive a person insane in about forty-five minutes. This room takes about an hour. I'll see you in two."

Nigeria widened his eyes, and Italy left the room, turning off the light. So now, Nigeria was sitting in darkness and silence.

Except… It wasn't silent for long. Nigeria started hearing sounds. Strange sounds. It took him a while to recognise at least one.

His heartbeat.

As the minutes ticked by, the sound of his heartbeat, along with the other sounds, became louder and louder. The darkness also became suffocating, and the metal around his wrists and ankles grew tighter. It seemed to grow colder and colder, and no matter how much he struggled, he couldn't break free.

How long was it? Because it felt like an eternity. He didn't know if he screamed. He couldn't tell.

Eventually, the sounds turned to voices, speaking in languages he couldn't make sense of.

"Stop!" he shouted, or thought he shouted.

Soon, he could taste something familiar. His mouth started to hurt. The taste… was it blood? Oh, now he started to smell it.

The darkness gave way, showing him a village littered with corpses. The scent of blood reached him, making him want to gag. Too much blood.

"Help me!" he shouted, or thought he did. "Please, someone, help me! Make it stop! Make it stop!"

His cheeks were wet, and the scent of salt reached him. His body shuddered in a sob.

…

Italy walked back to the silent room, a smirk on his face. He was curious to see how Nigeria was faring. By now, he should be a wreck.

And Nigeria didn't disappoint.

Italy's smirk widened when he saw the Nigerian panting in the chair, muttering in a language he didn't quite understand. His eyes were blinking rapidly, getting used to the light and probably trying to shake off the hallucinations he had been seeing. His mouth, wrists and ankles were bloody, and Italy could only imagine how he struggled. He wondered how much of the inside of his mouth he had bitten.

As Italy walked closer, Nigeria looked towards him, but it was clear that he wasn't seeing him clearly. Italy chuckled, and Nigeria flinched.

"What were you saying about not breaking?" Italy asked.

…

Spain was waiting with France and Prussia. The emergency meeting would begin in half an hour, and Spain was worried for his two friends.

He could see that neither of them had gotten enough sleep. France was worried, since his neighbour had been attacked in his own home. Killed by a single bullet. It shouldn't have been possible for a nation to die like that. And yet, Germany felt empty, and he hadn't revived in that time. It _should_ have taken a few hours. And based on the rigor mortis, he had been like that for at least more than a day.

And then there was Prussia, who confirmed that he was taking on his brother's land. His people. The rash of deaths in the country was stopping, though it didn't change the fact that Prussia's brother was dead. And it made France and Spain even more concerned. They had been taught by Rome that a nation that died in unnatural (for a nation) means would have ten percent of their human population wiped out. It was a representation of the nation's soul being severed from their people.

Spain didn't know who could have done this, but it was clear that the three of them suspected the same thing: it was the work of another nation. But, who would _do_ that to Germany?

They were hoping to find out, or at the very least, warn the others. They didn't know if this was an isolated incident, or if other nations were in danger.

He _hoped_ that it was an isolated incident.

…

Cyprus was walking between Turkey and Greece, feeling very nervous. More than he had felt between them ever before.

They weren't fighting.

Well, Turkey was _trying_ to start something with Greece, but the younger nation didn't rise to the bait. And that was what made Cyprus nervous.

Greece seemed distracted somehow, and Cyprus didn't know what that could mean. Unless Greece was in his philosopher mode, then it seemed a bit more normal. But what could snare Greece's attention like that for him to ignore _Turkey_?

A throat was cleared, and Cyprus's attention snapped forward. He saw Egypt, looking at him with those patient, though sometimes creepy, eyes.

"Ah, Gupta," Turkey greeted, striding forward. "I was wondering when we'd see you."

Cyprus smiled at Egypt, who nodded in acknowledgement.

"Hey Gupta," Greece greeted. "Any idea what this might be about?"

"No," Egypt said. "But it's a nuisance, having a world meeting right after an African meeting."

Turkey chuckled, and Egypt fell into step beside them. Turkey started chatting with Egypt, the shorter nation merely nodding along. Greece was still ignoring Turkey, but Cyprus started to relax a little, now that Egypt was there.

"Hey, isn't that Morocco and Tunisia?" Turkey asked.

Cyprus looked in the direction that Turkey was pointing in, seeing the two nations. But for some strange reason, Tunisia's eyes widened when he saw them, and Morocco's narrowed, before she turned Tunisia away. Cyprus frowned in confusion, wondering what _that_ was about.

"Did something happen?" Turkey asked, looking at Egypt.

"We had a… slight disagreement at the African meeting," Egypt said.

Cyprus glanced towards Egypt, seeing just the faintest look of annoyance. He wondered what kind of disagreement could be so bad.

…

"He was…" Tunisia said.

"I know," Morocco said. "And we don't know if the others are in on it. So, just do as we told you: say nothing and act normal."

"I'll try. Do you think Algeria's here too?"

"I don't know. Only one way to find out."

…

"France, why did you call this meeting?" China asked as soon as the meeting was called to order.

France sighed, looking over the nations. He could see a few gaps, and he had _tried_ to call those nations, without success. This only made him more worried.

"Two days ago, I came across something truly disturbing," France said. "I'm sure a few of you have been feeling nervous. It's about the rash of accidents in Germany."

"What happened?" Belgium asked. "I saw that he isn't here… Is he alright?"

"Nein," Prussia spat. "Mein Bruder is far from alright. He's _dead_."

"That's ridiculous," Austria said. "He is a nation at the prime of his health. He is doing well economically, socially, politically…"

"But he's _dead_!" Spain said. "He was killed with a bullet. A single shot to the head. And he _still_ hasn't woken up."

There were whispers of unease that went through the room.

"Germany isn't the only one," Scotland said, silencing the room. "England's dead too."

France felt his knees buckle. His friend… Though, he was loath to admit it to anyone, especially England.

"He was brutalised," Scotland continued. "From what you said, sounds like Germany died quickly. Artie… Artie wasn't so lucky."

"And Japan is dead too," China said. "A brutal method was used on him. A method I hadn't seen in a long time. His heart was carved out and a piece of it eaten. It ensures that a nation can't be revived, and makes _their_ land part of your own."

There was a wave of disgust that rolled through the room. France could sympathise.

"Who could have done something like that?" India asked.

"Where's America?" Afghanistan asked. "And the Italy brothers? And…?"

"I tried calling a few of them just now," France said. "They wouldn't answer."

"There was an African meeting, right?" Switzerland asked, looking towards a few of the Africans. "What about _those_ that are missing?"

"During the meeting, Cape Town was bombed," White said. "It was the city where _we_ were, and the building we were in was also under threat. We evacuated and fled to the next safest place, but I fear that in the process, a few of them went missing. We tried getting them, without success. Black and I are both suffering from the effects of one of our capitals being attacked, and Lesotho was injured in the process. Since it was only a few hours after that meeting that we received the message of _this_ meeting, Lesotho chose to stay behind due to his injuries, and once he recovered, he started searching for the others."

"It's a good thing there's two of us, and that we have three capitals," Black said. "We only absorb a sixth of the damage. Otherwise, we wouldn't have been here for a few days."

"What the hell is going on?!" Turkey demanded. "Three nations turn up dead, a city was bombed, and a few more nations are missing?"

"Is this the work of a nation, or terrorists?" Estonia asked.

"Do you think we might be dealing with another war?" Ukraine asked nervously.

"Calm yourselves," Russia said. "Getting worried will not help anyone. You are only making yourselves nervous, and it might cause mistakes."

"Big brother is right," Belarus said. "No need to be so worried."

"What do you suggest we do, then?" Lithuania asked, looking at Russia.

"First, we go to the homes of the nations that are missing," Russia said. "There is a chance that more have died, but we have missed them. Secondly, I think the two South Africas should return home and see if they can find their missing comrades. Thirdly, I think _everyone_ should look in their own countries for anything suspicious. If we're dealing with human terrorists, then we need to find them first."

"And if we're _not_ dealing with humans?" Mexico asked.

"Well then, it's safe to assume that at least one person in this room might be responsible for what has happened."

There were nervous mutterings and suspicious glances around the room. France could understand it. He had been thinking of the possibility that the murderer – or possibly murderers – was a nation. But Russia's words made it all too real. There was a strong possibility that they were in this room. It was hard to tell who could be trusted.

Well, France had two people that he could definitely trust. Prussia and Spain had been with him the whole time. And Prussia wouldn't have killed his younger brother. The one that he had raised. Prussia had always been so proud of Germany.

But pride had turned to sorrow.

France couldn't help but think that there was more to come.

…

"Aminah, stay with me!"

Singapore felt a twinge of annoyance as Philippines tackled her, pulling her in an unwanted hug. This was normal for Philippines, but only when it came to Singapore.

The other ASEAN nations saw this, some of them chuckling in amusement, others ignoring them. They were too used to Philippines clinging to Singapore.

A throat was cleared, and they turned their attentions to a Western nation standing there. Once she saw Mexico, Philippines let go.

"Hola hermana," Philippines said. "Do you want something?"

"I need to have a word with you," Mexico said, looking as annoyed as Singapore felt.

Philippines nodded her head, before she pecked Singapore on the cheek and skipped to follow Mexico. Singapore desperately rubbed at her cheek, trying to get the sensation of Philippines's lips to leave her skin.

"What do you suppose _that's_ about?" Malaysia asked, looking in the direction Philippines had disappeared in with Mexico.

"I don't know," Singapore said. "But hopefully, Mexico kicks her ass for being so annoying."

"She likes you," Indonesia said.

"Well, the feeling _isn't_ mutual."

…

Philippines followed after Mexico to an empty office, closing the door behind them.

"You need to be careful," Mexico said. "Everyone's suspicious now, and we don't know if Singapore is one of _them_."

"Oh, I know she's not," Philippines said. "I have cameras in every corner of every room in her house. I have a bug planted in her phone, and whenever she calls or texts someone, I get the messages to my phone, and I can hear a recording of her calls. I also keep log of everyone she speaks to, and check to see their relationship. I've also got a few bugs in her office, and I've got a few of my spies tailing her at all times. Trust me, I would know if she was part of that other group."

Mexico stared at Philippines.

"You _really_ need a new hobby," Mexico said.

"Oh, I'm going to get one pretty soon," Philippines said. "We've been given the go-ahead to continue."

"But we're putting all of that on hold to see if we can find the rats."

"Not necessarily. Romano promised me Singapore when we begin. I'm going to take what's been promised to me."

Mexico sighed.

"Then I assume you're going to take her to the Washroom to make her fall in love with you," Mexico said.

"No," Philippines said. "No Washroom. I'm going to do it the old-fashioned way. I'm going to _make_ Singapore love me back."

Philippines could already imagine how she would convince Singapore. It was going to be _very_ fun on her part.

…

"Do you really think that it was a nation that killed Germany, England and Japan?" Kazakhstan asked.

Afghanistan shrugged.

"I'm more concerned about America right now," she said. "If that idiot was killed, I know that _I'm_ going to be the one to blame."

"Are you?" Pakistan asked.

"Of course not!"

The -stan nations had all gone to Kyrgyzstan's room to discuss the prior meeting. They, along with everyone else in the world, were nervous by the revelation.

A capital city had been bombed. It was fortunate that the nation in question had two representatives and three capitals, otherwise they would have been in a _lot_ of trouble. But that didn't change the fact that a nation had been attacked in such a manner. And then three nations were confirmed dead, and a few more missing. _That_ certainly scared everyone.

Kyrgyzstan looked over the occupants of the room. Her family. She didn't know what she would do if one of them turned up missing or dead.

She also didn't know what she would do if it turned out that one of _them_ was responsible for what happened.

She glanced towards Kazakhstan, and the other woman must have seen the worry in her eyes, for she gave her a reassuring smile. Kyrgyzstan hoped that she wouldn't lose that smile.

 **I had a different name for Singapore in Game of Mirrors, but I decided to look for another name. It was** _ **not**_ **easy, but was still easier than finding a name for Philippines, which I reveal in a few chapters. And I'm not going with Maria because almost everyone I know named Maria hates the name and call themselves by a different name, and at least one of them had it legally changed. So, Maria is not a name I'll use. Seriously, out of the seven people I've met with Maria as their first name, only two of them actually went by Maria. On that note, we actually have both Maria and Marie as the Afrikaans equivalents of Mary.**


	9. Chapter 8

**Thanks to AquaEclipse for reviewing.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 8**

Netherlands had enquired about the location of the South Africans' room, and he was on his way there. He hadn't wanted to approach them in front of the other nations – he didn't want an audience, and he knew that their pride wouldn't allow them to have this conversation in front of the other nations.

He stopped in front of the door and knocked. He only had to wait a few seconds before it was opened.

"Nederland?" White asked.

"Hallo, Zuid-Afrika," Netherlands said. "May I come in?"

She nodded her head, allowing him entrance. He saw that the two had twin beds, and that Black was sitting on one. But as soon as Black saw him, he stood from the bed.

"Netherlands?" he questioned.

"Hello, South Africa," he said.

He made it a point to call both of them 'South Africa', though he called Black by the English name and White by the Dutch name. He acknowledged the fact that both of them were South Africa, and dividing them felt disrespectful, in his opinion. He also felt that he owed it to them, especially White, who was his former colony.

"How bad is the damage in Cape Town?" he asked, directing the question to White.

"Really bad," she said. "The bombs had been planted by someone, and they were underneath most of the buildings. Industrial, residential…"

"Someone had a grudge against you," Netherlands said. "That's all I can think of."

"Sounds about right," Black said.

"How many dead?"

The two of them hesitated.

"They're still gathering all the bodies," White said. "As soon as we evacuated, I called in to demand aid."

"Would you like foreign aid?" Netherlands asked.

"I'm not going to beg for it," she said. "Especially considering all that's happened…"

"You don't have to beg. I'm offering."

"That's generous of you," Black said. "What's the catch?"

"No catch," Netherlands said. "It's Cape Town that was attacked. I helped build that city. And besides, you're my daughter. I know I haven't always been the best parent, but I care about you."

White smiled, and Black huffed.

"And what about _me_?" he asked.

"I never colonised _you_ ," Netherlands said. "But… I acknowledge the fact that you're her brother. Besides, Cape Town is mostly hers, isn't it?"

Black grumbled, but nodded his head.

"Dankie," White said. "We appreciate it."

…

Once Netherlands had left, White turned to Black.

"Well?" she asked.

"We can trust him," Black said. "He's not one of them. I highly doubt any of _their_ members would want to repair the damage that one of them caused."

"Unless it's to make us let down our guard."

"I still say we can trust him."

"…I know."

…

China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau were in China's room, with Taiwan demanding all the details about the state in which they found Japan.

Even though Hong Kong and Macau weren't technically nations, China couldn't stand the thought of leaving them there alone. He had also told the Japanese prefectures to relocate to a safe location. He didn't like anything about the current situation.

"I don't get it," Taiwan said at last. "Why would anyone _do_ that to Japan?"

"Why did they do it in the past?" Hong Kong asked.

"To make sure that the nation whose territory they planned to conquer couldn't take it back," China said.

"Conquest," Macau muttered. "Maybe we should look into the political situation of Japan. See how things go."

"I already asked the prefectures to let me know," China said. "So far, the increased death toll is making things difficult. The only definite thing they can tell me regarding Japanese politics is that the politicians are trying to find a solution to the problem. Well, the ones that weren't caught in the crosshairs."

"This is so scary," Taiwan said. "I mean… Why _now_?"

"I intend to find out. I also want to go to find Tibet. He needs to know."

"Maybe I should go," Macau said. "Tibet might not like it too much if you go."

China huffed.

"I haven't done anything to him personally," he grumbled. "Why does he have to act like I'm the devil?"

The other three couldn't help but chuckle.

…

Cambodia was with Laos, Thailand and Vietnam as they discussed the revelations of the meeting. The francophones among them knew that France was serious about what he had said about Germany, and when China told them about Japan, it only made them aware of the severity of the situation.

It was scary to think that nations had been killed in cold blood. Murdered. Cambodia had never heard of something like this happening. He knew of nations dying due to wars or politics, but nothing like _this_.

And the thought that it might have been another nation, or _nations_ , that did this made Cambodia feel sick. To think that he might have been in the same room as at least one murderer only an hour ago… Or, the possibility that a murderer was in the same room as him at that moment…

That sudden thought made him shudder, and Vietnam immediately picked up on it.

"Is something wrong?" she asked.

"I was just…" Cambodia started, wondering if he should tell them. "I was just thinking about the possibility of the killers being nations."

"I don't think it's a possibility," Laos said. "More like a probability."

"Don't say that!"

"It's terrifying," Thailand said. "The thought that people we might know and care about being killers… And I have the feeling that there's worse to come."

Vietnam sighed, looking at the three males surrounding her. She was the most level-headed one of them, but Cambodia could see that she was also nervous.

"We can't doubt each other," she said. "We also shouldn't assume the worst of our fellow nations. And, if it turns out that the murderers _are_ nations… promise me that no one in this room will take part of that."

They all stared at Vietnam, but one by one, they promised her.

…

Sierra Leone was wandering the halls of the building, looking for someone. She hoped to find him soon. Her patience was running out.

She felt arms encircle her, and she tensed, before the familiar scent washed over her. She relaxed in his hold, smiling at her lover.

"I've been looking for you, Akmal," she said. "And you shouldn't surprise me like that."

"I'm sorry, Sierra," Akmal whispered into her ear. "I just wanted to hold you. But… Are you alright?"

She knew that he was referring to the fact that she had tensed when his arms wrapped around her, and she sighed.

"It's been a long few days," she said.

"Did they hurt you?" he asked.

"No. I think they're still under the illusion that I'm one of the nations betrayed by us, and that I'm merely a victim."

He sighed, placing his hand on her midsection.

"I heard about _this_ ," he said. "How could they have made you do this?"

"I volunteered," she said. "The ends justify the means, after all."

Someone cleared a throat nearby, and the two of them turned towards the two nations standing there.

"I suggest you move this someplace private," one of them said. "We don't want any unwanted questions. Like how _you two_ are together."

She grinned.

"As though you wouldn't do the same thing," she said.

"Oh, we were on our way right now," the second said. "But _we_ , at least, had the good sense to arrange a time and place."

"Come on," Akmal whispered in her ear. "My room isn't far from here."

She nodded her head, and the two of them made their way towards the room. As soon as they were inside, the two of them started making up for lost time.

…

Rwanda was on her way outside the conference building. They had been given free reign, as long as they didn't tell anyone about the two alliances that had been revealed two days ago. And she didn't want to waste her freedom inside. She wanted to go out.

"Rwanda!"

She jumped in surprise, spinning around, before sighing in relief when she saw who it was.

"Senegal," she greeted.

He jogged up to her, and the two of them started making their way outside together.

"So, where are you off to?" he asked.

"I just want to get _out_ ," she said. "Now that… now that we're not free anymore, I don't want to be cooped up inside. In case…"

"In case they decide to keep a closer eye on us," he finished. "I understand. So, if you don't have a specific destination in mind, want to go to a café with me? Or a bistro?"

She turned to him with a perplexed expression.

"Why are you asking _me_?" she asked.

"Why not?" he asked.

She stared at him for a moment, before she shrugged.

"Sure," she said. "Whatever."

Senegal smiled, and Rwanda shook her head. There was something seriously strange about him.

…

Colombia was stalking the halls, on her way to a certain someone's room. She had been texted the room number, and she wanted to get there as soon as possible.

"Regina!"

She came to a sudden halt and spun around, seeing her neighbour standing nearby.

"Luis," she greeted. "Anything you want?"

Venezuela chuckled, stepping closer.

"I was thinking about having a barbecue," he said. "Would you like to come?"

"Isn't that more Argentina's thing?" she asked.

"I already asked her. She's up for it. Are you?"

"When?"

"We can do it after we leave here."

She shook her head. She didn't know why, but Venezuela was giving her the creeps.

"Sorry, but I have other business to attend to," she said. "I'm going to be out of my country for a while, and I won't be going back to South America either."

His expression fell, and she could clearly see that his eyes were cold.

"Can't you skip it?" he asked.

"No," she said. "Can't go against the boss."

"Actually, you _can_."

She stared at him for a while, before she narrowed her eyes.

"You're one of Mexico's allies, aren't you?" she whispered.

He blinked once, before he smirked.

"Egypt said that there's at least two South Americans on the other side," he said. "So, is it Angola or White South Africa? Which one is your lover?"

"Neither," she said. "What do you want?"

He shrugged.

"I could ask _you_ the same question," he said. "You, and your friends."

"I don't see why I should answer the friend of a cannibal," she spat.

Venezuela chuckled, and she felt the ice go down her spine.

"I'm not a _friend_ of a cannibal," he said. "I _am_ one. And I'm starting to wonder what _you_ taste like. I've been wondering that for a while, actually."

Colombia took a step back, feeling mounting horror at what he was saying.

"That barbecue…" she whispered.

"Oh, I actually lied about that part," he said. "There is no barbecue. I just wanted to see your reactions. I wanted to see if you were a member of the other group, and as it turns out, you _are_!"

"Well, congratulations, mission accomplished," she said sarcastically. "What do you plan on doing with that information?"

"There's one thing I'm curious about. Your name. We're the Requiem Empire. What about you?"

She was silent for a moment, wondering if she should share that with him.

"Why 'requiem'?" she asked.

"Because, when we're through, the old world will die, and a new world can be born," he said. "I'm sure you understand that."

"It's true we want to change the way the world works," she said, "but we're _not_ the same as you. We don't kill innocent nations."

"They're far from innocent," Venezuela scoffed. "You still haven't answered my question. What do you guys call yourselves?"

She pursed her lips.

"Alvora," she said.

He chuckled.

"That's strange, but I guess we'll see which one is stronger," he said, before he walked away.

She trembled in rage, before spinning around and storming off. She needed to find her lover. Eventually, she came to a stop in front of a door, and she desperately knocked on the door, and once it opened, she launched herself at the other woman.

"Regina? What happened?"

"Venezuela is one of _them_ ," she muttered.

Mozambique frowned, before ushering her inside. Colombia sat down on the bed as Mozambique settled next to her.

"Tell me what happened," Mozambique said.

She explained the conversation she had with Venezuela, and by the end, Mozambique was frowning in worry.

"The Requiem Empire, is it?" she whispered. "We need to pass it on."

Colombia nodded her head, hugging herself. Mozambique wrapped her arms around her, and Colombia leaned into the embrace.

"You're uncomfortable with him saying that he wanted to taste you," Mozambique observed.

"Si," she said. "I just… How can anyone be so…?"

"I know," Mozambique said. "I don't want you going home for a while. Not with _him_ around. And we should probably tell the others. We know the identity of one more member, as well as their group's name."

Colombia nodded, and she watched as Mozambique removed her phone, calling the leader. In the meantime, Colombia removed her own phone and texted a message to the other two South Americans.

 _Venezuela's like Mexico. Alliance and appetite. Don't trust him._

She didn't have to wait long before she got a reply from each of them.

 _Thanks for the info._

 _Are you okay? He didn't hurt you, did he?_

Colombia winced slightly. Of course, the latter one had a history with a cannibalistic nation. He was the reason that they all knew that a nation could die by having their heart consumed. Luckily, he had managed to escape that fate, though he still had the scar of the ordeal.

She hoped that he didn't run into any of _those_ nations.

…

Italy smirked at Romano. One by one, they had taken the prisoners to the quiet room, and one by one, their minds had been broken by the experience. But it took a lot to permanently render a nation insane. They would recover soon, and then they could start anew.

Well, perhaps not them. Seborga was staying behind with their host in order to take care of the prisoners. He knew how to play this game.

Italy's phone rang, and after seeing who was calling, he answered it, aware of the stares of the others.

"Si, what is it?" Italy asked. "Anything to report?"

"Quite a bit," Venezuela said. "Has anyone told you about what happened at the meeting?"

"Not yet, no. It's a bit disappointing."

"Alright, so everyone knows that England, Germany and Japan are dead. Some nations are missing, including you and Romano, as well as Canada."

"After what happened, I doubt they want him anywhere near us."

"The South Africas managed to play off the bombing as an attack, possibly by terrorists. And they convinced the world that the missing African nations disappeared in the bombing. Lesotho is apparently injured and going to help look for them as soon as he's recovered enough."

"And how convincing were they?"

"If I didn't know the truth, _I_ would have believed them."

"So, they're very good liars. What else?"

"Colombia is part of that group, and they call themselves 'Alvora'. I also told her our name. I'm guessing they're not going to budge. She seemed especially focused on our appetite. I think she has a personal reason not to go anywhere near us."

Italy narrowed his eyes.

"That's most unfortunate," he said. "We should probably have someone else approaching. Africans are out, and South Americans are out. We're going to have to see if we can find any Europeans or Asians. You did well."

"Thank you," Venezuela said. "Shall I tell loverboy that you send your regards?"

Italy rolled his eyes.

"I already spoke to him myself," Italy said. "There's no need for something like that."

"Okay, whatever you say," Venezuela said. "Adios."

Italy hung up the phone, and he turned to the others.

"Alvora," Italy said. "Now we know what to call our enemies. And we know that Colombia is a member."

"Any idea what their goals are?" Romano asked.

"Not yet, fratello. I think we can wait a while. We don't want to be _too_ aggressive. If there's any hope for an alliance, we need to take things slowly."

…

Lithuania was sharing a room with Poland, since that would cause the least amount of questions. Though, truthfully, Lithuania wanted to be in Prussia's room… in his arms…

He hated the fact that politics had forced them to put up a front of hatred in front of the rest of the world. It was still a bit funny. What he had thought was Prussia hating him when they were younger was actually Prussia not knowing how to express his feelings. It wasn't until much later – after Romania approached them both – that they realised the truth, and kept their relationship a secret from all but their allies.

Poland's phone rang, and he quickly answered. Lithuania watched as Poland's face fell, and the other nodded his head.

"Alright, I'll pass on the message," he said, before he disconnected the call. "Like, that was Vlad. We know that Venezuela is a part of the other group – like, the Requiem Empire – and that he's also a cannibal."

Lithuania felt his stomach twist in disgust. They now had seven confirmed members, and two of them were confirmed cannibals. What about the others?

Before Lithuania could raise the question, someone knocked on the door. Frowning, he went to answer it. He rolled his eyes when he saw who it was, and turned to Poland.

"Really?" he asked, less than amused, before turning to the guest. "Have fun, I guess."

"Sorry," their guest said.

Lithuania shook his head, before he left the two lovers alone. It just reminded him of the fact that he wanted to see his own lover.

 **And Sierra Leone's human name is actually Sierra. I think that nations can choose their own human names, which extends to surnames (hence why America and Canada have different surnames, or Belarus and Russia). Sierra Leone was a troll and decided to have her human name being Sierra Leona. There's also another reason why she chose to go with a name like that, which should reveal itself in time.**

 **Coming up with names for the two organisations was** _ **hell**_ **. Flipping through a Latin dictionary, trying to come up with concepts to represent them. I even considered using the Latin words for dawn and dusk, or sunrise and sunset. Those words aren't exactly suitable as names. Amodi was a lot easier because of the theme of love and hate (amo et odi). I wanted to keep the Latin theme because it's a bit cliché to give a Latin name/motto, which would have worked to their advantage. After all, if it's cliché, then it wouldn't be a way to connect the Italy brothers to the group, for example. Anyway, I went for Requiem because their methods involve death, and requiems are strongly connected with death. Alvora was a combination of the same word in two different languages (more clarification will come with the revelation of the leader). My sister told me that the original name for them was** _ **too**_ **cliché – and it wasn't in Latin, so it wasn't the right type of cliché. I stressed more about the names of the organisations than trying to figure out the** _ **members**_ **of the organisations.**


	10. Chapter 9

**Thanks to ZadArchie, TheLobster and AquaEclipse for reviewing.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 9**

"Let's hope we're not too late," France said.

It was the day after the meeting, and France, Prussia, Spain and Portugal were going to look for the Italy brothers in the northern part of the country. Vatican, San Marino and Malta had been enlisted to look in the southern part. Vatican had already confirmed that neither of them were in Rome, so there was no reason to go there.

"Tell me again why I was dragged along?" Portugal asked.

"Think of it as one of the few times I'm feeling brotherly," Spain said.

Portugal gave Spain an odd look before he sighed, leaning in the backseat next to Prussia. The latter snickered.

"I guess you should feel honoured, huh?" Prussia asked.

Portugal looked out of the window, eyes focused on the sky.

"Huh, it's sunny," he said. "I was so sure that it was going to rain."

"What makes you say that?" France asked.

"The rarity of my brother being worried about me."

France couldn't help but chuckle, while Spain rolled his eyes. Prussia glanced towards Portugal, who was still looking outside with a small smile on his face.

…

"Feli's not going to appreciate us letting those idiots roam around his part of the country," Malta said.

"Well, they're not going to find anything," San Marino said. "And it keeps them busy."

"They haven't given the green light regarding Spain yet," Vatican said, "and we can't do anything to France while he's with Spain. We can't afford for Spain to be tipped off. The South Americans, Mexico and Philippines want to make Spain's death as painful as possible, and it would be best if he doesn't know about anything beforehand."

"And what about Prussia and Portugal?" Malta asked.

"What about them?"

"Aren't they going to get in the way?"

"It doesn't matter," San Marino said. "If they _do_ interfere, then we'll kill them. There isn't anything specific in mind for either one of them."

"Alright, if you say so."

…

Togo was confused. Very confused.

He was at the airport, along with the other Africans. They were allowed to go home. And that was what confused him. After everything that had happened the last few days, it seemed unreal that he could go home.

He sighed, walking up to a vending machine. He scanned the contents, looking for something that he would enjoy. His eyes were focused on the contents, so he didn't notice the reflection. At least, not until a hand clamped on his mouth. His eyes widened as he focused on the reflection of one he knew to be an enemy.

"Hola, Togo," Mexico whispered. "Why don't we have a little chat?"

Togo swallowed nervously as she dragged him off. No one, of course, noticed. Nations had a tendency to fall under the humans' radar. That was the only way they managed to get away with some of their more insane antics.

She came to a stop, before looking towards him.

"Make a sound, and I'll show you that what they said about me is true," she hissed.

She slammed him against the wall, releasing his mouth. He stared at her in pure terror.

"W-what do you want?" he whispered.

"Where are you going now?" she asked. "And don't lie."

"Home… They're s-sending us h-home."

"Really? That's interesting. And did they tell you what you need to do?"

"We… We just need to cut off all t-ties to n-nations outside A-Africa," he said.

"So, that means our relationship is at an end," Mexico said. "Anything else? Come on, you can tell me. Do you know the names of any of the members? We know about the two South Africas, Angola, Morocco, Sao Tomé and Príncipe. Anyone else in Africa?"

He swallowed nervously.

"I… I can't," he said. "I can't s-say anything…"

"Do you want me to hurt you?" she asked. "Because I'm curious for a taste."

He whimpered, shrinking back.

"He can't say anything about the organisation," an unexpected voice said. "The contracts won't permit it."

Togo's eyes widened as he looked towards the speaker. Mexico also looked surprised.

"Israel?" she asked. "You're one of _them_ too?"

Israel nodded, stepping closer.

"Release him," he said.

Mexico scoffed, but thankfully stepped away. Togo scrambled behind Israel, finding him to be the lesser of two evils at the moment.

"Egypt's going to be disappointed," Mexico said. "He was _so_ hoping to get you on board."

Israel narrowed his eyes, but Mexico just smirked and spun around. The two of them watched her walk away. Israel looked down to the cowering Togo.

"Are you alright?" he asked. "Did she hurt you?"

"I'm fine," Togo said.

The two of them remained standing like that for a while, until Togo had managed to calm his breathing. He looked up at Israel.

"You're one of them too?" he asked.

"Yes," he said. "But I'm not going to harm you. That is not our intention." He cocked his head to the side. "I think your flight will be boarding soon."

Togo widened his eyes, before making his way towards the boarding gates.

…

Lesotho didn't know what to think.

He had been left alone with North Korea, and when he had first discovered that, he was immensely scared. But then he saw that North was harmless. He was more focused on reading and listening to music. Nice, soothing music.

Lesotho was watching North as he was in the kitchen, preparing breakfast and humming a song. His body swayed slightly as though he was dancing with the melody. It wasn't the type of music that Lesotho usually listened to, but North's voice was nice enough for the child nation not to care.

North turned his attention to the door, and Lesotho yelped as he ducked out, embarrassed for being caught like that.

"I was just about to call you," North said. "Breakfast is ready."

Lesotho stepped out, seeing the scrambled eggs, bacon and toast. His stomach growled, and he hastily went to grab a plate. North smiled.

"I hope you like it," he said, before taking his own plate out.

Lesotho hesitated for a while, before he followed after the North Korean. North went to sit in the large TV-room, but he didn't turn on the TV. He turned on some music, and Lesotho recognised it as one of the South African groups, _Touch of Class_.

"Is this the type of music you like?" Lesotho asked despite himself.

"Considering the amount of K-pop my brother plays over the border, I prefer something a bit calmer," North said.

"Is he part of this too?"

"Not our group. We suspect that he might be a member of the other group. He certainly has the personality for it."

"What do you mean? I always thought he was nice and…"

"You shouldn't let what's on the surface mislead you."

Lesotho was confused, and North sighed, before he rolled up his sleeve. Lesotho's eyes widened at the burn scar racing up his arm.

"What happened?" Lesotho asked.

"This is what South Korea is capable of," North said. "He did this to me when we were about your age."

Lesotho's eyes widened. Seeing the wound… And it was _before_ the whole Korean conflict, if North was to be believed. How could South Korea _do_ that to his own brother?

"We don't know who can be trusted," North continued. "So, always be on your guard. Even around nations from our group. Though, none of us make it a habit to hurt children. So, you should be safe."

Lesotho sighed, before he sat down in one of the other chairs. His breakfast had gotten cold, but he didn't care. And he would take North's advice to heart.

…

Russia, Ukraine and the Baltics were on their way to Canada. Russia had volunteered to go check on his fellow Northern nation. He was just surprised that Belarus hadn't jumped at the chance to come too.

While he was worried about Canada, his thoughts kept straying to someone else. Japan. He had been rather fond of him, and had been trying to get close to him for a while. Whenever he was near Japan, he felt his heart flutter a little.

And… when he had heard of Japan's death, he felt as though his heart was breaking.

He wanted to know who had hurt Japan, and he wanted to make that person pay. He didn't quite understand the reason for it, but he wanted to avenge Japan.

…

"So, you're saying that Israel is part of them too?" Egypt asked.

"That's right," Mexico said on the other side of the phone. "So, what are you going to do _now_?"

Egypt pursed his lips. What _could_ he do?

"I think I'll be paying someone else a visit," Egypt said. "We're definitely getting a new recruit _there_."

"Whatever you say," Mexico said. "Do you think we can manage with them? Getting them to cooperate with us, I mean."

"No. You attacked one of their members, I bombed the capitals of several, and another one saw you threatening one of their prisoners. I don't think a union between our two groups is possible."

"Venezuela said that Colombia looked as though she was repulsed by his appetite. I think you're right. I don't think we're going to get allies out of them. But, we know a few of their members. I think we'll need to start working on capturing soon."

"Sounds like a plan."

There was a groan from his left, and he looked to see his lover, reaching out to him with his eyes still closed. Egypt couldn't help but smile.

"I need to get going," Egypt said. "Someone still wants to snuggle."

He could almost imagine Mexico rolling her eyes on the other side.

"Tell him that if I call him, I expect him to be up and ready," she snapped.

"Will do," he said, before disconnecting the call.

He then allowed himself to be pulled down, and he wrapped his arms around his lover, who did the same for him.

"It's too early," the younger nation said.

"It's eleven," Egypt said.

"Still too early."

Egypt chuckled, tightening his grip on the other nation. All things considered, it wasn't too surprising that he was still tired.

…

Slovakia was driving back to his house with Czechia. She was in no state to drive, and he wanted to make sure that she was alright.

Hearing that Germany was killed… As well as England and Japan. They were both worried. Both a little paranoid. And they knew that they weren't the only ones.

Slovakia knew that this wasn't end, and he suspected that Czechia knew it too. There would be more deaths. And Slovakia didn't want to be alone, and he also didn't want his sister to be alone.

He would do anything to make sure that she remained safe.

…

Bangladesh leaned back in his seat, before he looked over towards his fellow nations. Bhutan, Myanmar and Nepal were joining him. They were going to his place until they could be sure that everything was fine. That they were safe.

He had asked India if he wanted to come, but the other had denied his request. Said he had some business to take care of in Europe. And then he had gone to England's brothers.

Bangladesh recalled that India had been friends with England, and decided that he would leave the other in peace. He was most likely mourning the loss of his friend, and needed some space.

He wondered how he would have reacted to hearing that one of his friends had been killed, before shaking his head of the thought. That was _not_ something that he even wanted to consider. Especially the three nations with him.

…

Alaska was in a state of shock. She was listening to Quebec's explanations, but none of it was sinking in.

Canada, along with several other nations, had been working in secret to bring about a change to the world. She couldn't tell yet if it was good or bad. But there was another group that seemed to want to conquer.

It was the other group that killed America.

She wasn't too sure that she believed these claims about another group, but when she heard what Canada's group was planning… Well, the ends justified the means, right? She would be happy to help if _that_ was what they had in mind.

And if she could get revenge for America's death, then she was more than happy to take part.

…

Ontario read the text, feeling less than pleased. Well, at least he had a warning. As the capital state, he would be the one taking care of their guests.

He would be the one questioned on Canada's location, and he would have to tell them that the last time he saw Canada, he was at the Ottawa house. He couldn't say anything about Canada going to visit America. That would just lead to unfortunate implications.

He wondered who was going to America's place. Whoever it was would be in for a nasty shock.

…

China, Macau, Hong Kong and Taiwan had volunteered for the job of seeing where America was. His house in his capital would be the first place they would look. And if America turned out to be fine, then he would scold the younger nation for making them worried.

Still, he hoped that America was still alive. Considering the amount of influence America had, he didn't think that it would bode well if something had happened to America as well.

…

Israel watched as the last of the Africans boarded their plane, before he made his way to the airport's exit. He wasn't going home yet.

Mexico had said that Egypt had been looking forward to getting him as part of their group. Why? He and Egypt didn't have the best relationship. Then again, he didn't have the best relationship with the vast majority of the Middle East.

He sighed, leaning against a nearby wall. The thought of Egypt wanting anything to do with him set him on edge. He didn't like it, and could only wonder what Egypt intended.

Like with the missing Africans.

The South Africans had come up with an excuse for their absence, but that still left their fate in the air. Mexico hadn't bragged about what they had done to them. It would have scared Togo more, and considering the fact that it was her intention…

He frowned. He needed to find a way to learn of their fate. And then they needed to rescue them.

…

"Will you be able to handle them?" Romano asked.

"My brother's coming,'' the host said. "We'll be fine."

Seborga would be staying behind to help with the prisoners, while Italy and Romano returned to Europe – and warmer weather.

"Call us if you think you need help," Italy said. "We'll send someone right away."

"Don't worry about it," Seborga said. "Their minds are mush at the moment. They're going to be easy to manage."

Italy and Romano smirked, before bidding the other two goodbye. They couldn't go back to Italy at the moment, but there was somewhere they _could_ go.

…

Ireland suppressed the urge to roll his eyes. Honestly, it was getting a little ridiculous.

Many of the former members of the British Empire were gathered together, mourning England. Not everyone could make it, as they had other things to tend to. Like the two South Africas that needed to tend to a certain city being bombed, or Hong Kong being dragged by China to America.

Ireland glanced at the nations gathered there and scoffed. Most of them were hypocrites. They couldn't stand England. Just because he was dead didn't suddenly transform him into a great man. He wasn't someone that deserved to be honoured.

Thinking of all the things England had done to him made his blood boil. And then there were far worse things that he had done to other nations in this room. All because of his precious empire.

Someone came to sit down next to Ireland, and he quickly gulped his beer.

"You shouldn't look so angry," the other said. "The others might suspect you."

Ireland smiled. At least he had a few allies among these nations. Colonies that had been so young when England came and ruined their lands. Colonies that Ireland had thought had potential, and had brought into their fold.

"Sorry about that," Ireland said. "I was just thinking about how hypocritical they all are. We all know that they hated Arthur's guts. It was only a matter of time before he was killed."

"Even if it wasn't necessary for our plans, he wouldn't have lived long, anyway," the other said.

"So, what are you going to do after this?"

"Feli's coming in from the Washroom. I want to go see him."

Ireland grinned. He knew that he had seen potential in him when he was young. Becoming the lover of one of the leaders was just the cherry on top.

…

Samoa was on his way back home. He had been invited to join the nations mourning England, but even though he was considered a member of the British Empire, he wasn't truly under _British_ rule. He shared that fate with Namibia.

Still, he couldn't help but think about everything that had happened. He hoped that no one else ended up dead.

…

France's group arrived at the third house they knew Italy lived in. And once again, he wasn't there. Neither of them.

Still, it didn't mean that they wouldn't look for possible clues.

Portugal and Prussia made their way to Italy's office, noting the mess. Prussia pursed his lips.

"This place is too organised," he said.

"What do you mean?" Portugal asked.

"I mean, this clutter is too organised. Like it was deliberately placed a certain way."

"So… organised chaos?"

Prussia frowned, before making his way to a filing cabinet. He pulled out a file and opened it, frowning.

"I can't read any of this," he said. "You try."

Portugal looked at it, and frowned as well.

"It looks like Latin," he said. "But… each individual word is backwards and…" His eyes widened. "Gilbert, this is information on Germany. And the word at the end… Death."

 **As I was writing the airport scene, I realised that they were at the Charles De Gaulle airport, a place I** _ **actually**_ **have experience with (and, sadly, it's the only part of Paris I've actually been to).**

 **While doing research, I found that Samoa's link to the British Empire was by being New Zealand territory, after being taken from Germany. A similar thing happened to Namibia, who became South African territory after claiming the territory from Germany, and as a result became part of the British Empire.**


	11. Chapter 10

**Thanks to ZadArchie, TheLobster and AquaEclipse for reviewing.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 10**

After failing to find either Italy brother yet again, the four of them set off, after having a quick lunch. They knew that Italy wouldn't mind. Or, at least Spain and France didn't think so.

Portugal and Prussia were starting to have their doubts.

While France had been preparing lunch, Portugal had skimmed through a few more files, and he grabbed several others to read later. But now, they suspected that Italy was a member of Requiem.

They didn't know if Romano was involved as well, considering that they hadn't included their own brothers in Alvora. The two of them had considered it at some point, but after seeing Spain as a Conquistador and Germany as a Nazi, they knew that their brothers were too vulnerable mentally to be a part of their group.

Portugal had placed the files recovered from Italy in his briefcase, which he had brought for the meeting. He and Prussia would wait until later before they examined the files, specifically to see what Requiem had in mind for their allies and other friends.

…

Dominican Republic found himself on a plane with the other Caribbean nations. The only exception was Puerto Rico, who wasn't an official nation and thus not invited to the meeting. However, he had been called and informed that they would all be going to Jamaica's place. For the time being, they felt that it would be wise to stay together.

He looked around at the others, and most of them were sleeping, but he frowned when he saw Haiti busy with something. It looked like clay.

On that note, Haiti's been quiet ever since the meeting. Actually, he was quiet even before the meeting. Considering how infuriating Haiti tended to be, especially towards DR, it was a bit disconcerting.

Not to mention, DR had actually gone searching for Haiti at the latter's room, but he wasn't there. Considering the lateness of the hour when DR had gone looking, it was more than a bit fishy.

He couldn't shake the feeling that Haiti was hiding something, and he didn't like it.

…

Bhutan awoke with a start. He had dozed off on the flight, but apparently he had had a nightmare.

"You okay?" Nepal asked.

Bhutan looked over towards the other nation, seeing him watching him worriedly.

"I'm fine," Bhutan said, smiling. "Just a bad dream, I guess."

Nepal stared at him for a moment, before shrugging and closing his eyes. Bhutan wasn't sure if he was sleeping or meditating.

Bhutan leaned back in his chair, his breathing having eased a bit. He tried to think of what his dream was, but his skin started to prickle. And he grew more worried.

He had a limited amount of precognitive ability, mostly manifesting through dreams. He also knew that Laos had prophetic dreams, but he could at least remember everything in detail. Bhutan only had a few sensory clues.

Like now… His attempts to think back on the dream made his skin react. And he was familiar with this particular sensation.

Fire. He had experienced a fire in his dream. But, did it mean a place being burned, or that _he_ would be burned?

He remembered what the South Africans had said about being bombed. Did it mean that more nations would suffer the same fate?

He shuddered, before looking over to the others. The thought of any of them being attacked… No, he didn't want to think about it.

…

Lesotho was curled on his side, fast asleep. He mumbled when someone shook his shoulder, and he opened his eyes to see North Korea.

"Sorry to bother you," North said. "Themba called to tell me that they're coming back from France. He also wants to know if you would rather stay here or go back to your own country."

Lesotho frowned. On the one hand, he would prefer to be back at his own home. On the other, he was afraid of being attacked again, where he was alone. Vulnerable. At least the others took care of him when he was hurt.

"I think I'll stay for a while," Lesotho muttered.

North looked surprised, but he nodded his head and brought his phone back to his ear. Lesotho closed his eyes and snuggled into the bed.

A week ago he wouldn't have thought that he'd grow to like North Korea. The other wasn't as intimidating as he first appeared. He was rather withdrawn, but overall nice.

Either way, he knew that he couldn't trust everything that he had believed. North was right. Looking at the surface was misleading.

…

Bahrain opened the front door, and once he was near his couch, he collapsed onto it. He didn't like travelling too much. Especially if it involved a world meeting. The meaningless gatherings of nations that led nowhere.

However, he supposed that this time, it could be forgiven. The revelations were very important. A capital city being attacked, nations being killed and others turning up missing. And the whole world was paranoid. And with good reason. The thought of another nation being behind this…

Sure, they didn't always get along, and they had a bit of a brutal history. But even during wars, no one hated each other _that_ much. No one would kill a fellow nation in cold blood.

Or, that's what he thought.

He knew that all that he could do for the time being was to wait for anything else to happen, and he hated it. He didn't really like feeling helpless. And that's what waiting around made him feel.

Unless he actually had an _idea_ , prompting him to take an active role, there was nothing that he could do. This was just depressing.

…

Mexico, along with most of the South Americans of the group, were on their way to a certain ally's house. They couldn't go back to the main base in Vatican, not with Spain and the others going through the country in search of the nations, so they needed to get to another location.

Not that they were complaining. They knew that something fun was going to happen.

They knew from their conversations with Alvora that an alliance between their two groups was impossible. Not that they were really hoping for one in the first place. They didn't really want to share the spoils of the coming war with anyone else.

Then again, Mexico suspected that it would be the case ever since learning that Canada was a member of the group. If there had been the slightest hope, then he would have said something as soon as she revealed himself. Instead, he had kept quiet about it.

She still wondered how he managed to escape from her. Oh well. They would find out soon enough.

She felt arms encircle her waist, and she looked at the other woman snuggling up to her.

"What's on your mind?" Argentina asked.

"Well, Italy and Romano shouldn't have wasted their breath on the order that we should see if we can make friends with them," Mexico said. "If there was a chance, then Canada would have said something when I confronted him."

"I guess you're right."

"Would have been nice to think about that earlier," Venezuela scoffed. "Though, I have to say, Colombia didn't look comfortable at all about our eating habits. But it's more than disgust. I think there's a personal reason."

"And if there _is_ one," Chile said, "then we're going to exploit it."

Mexico chuckled.

"I think tearing them apart will be more entertaining than bathing the rest of the world in red," she said.

…

Alvora's African and South American members were returning to the Durban base. Considering the amount of damage control that the two South Africans had to do, it was understandable. Morocco and Angola were fine with handling the situation from a distance. It also helped to have everyone in one location.

The South Americans mostly went along to be with their lovers, but there was more to it. Colombia was uncomfortable with the idea of running into Venezuela again, and he was the only one that she was sure of. If there were more… Not to mention, the thought of their neighbours being cannibals made them sick to their stomachs. They were also nervous for their other neighbours, who were innocent to this madness.

They also needed to get the other Africans to sever all ties, but it would be best to do that slowly. They didn't want the rest of the world to know exactly what was going on. Not yet, anyway.

For now, they needed to focus on getting the rest of the continent under control. They might have signed the contracts, but there was still much to do.

Still, there was _some_ good news.

Kenya, Ghana and Benin – the three African nations that knew about their activities despite not being part of their group – decided to officially join them. They felt just as uncomfortable by the callousness displayed by Egypt's group, and decided that, should a war break out, it would be best to be with strong allies.

…

"It's strange that Serbia didn't want to come," Croatia said. "I mean, isn't he usually the one trying to get us all together?"

Slovenia shrugged. He, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina were in the same car, while the others were in their own cars. They were heading to Slovenia's house, where they felt that it would be best to have everyone together. With the exception of Serbia. Even Bulgaria was joining them.

Slovenia couldn't help but feel suspicious of Serbia. Everyone was in a panic, worried about the fact that several nations were dead. And Serbia insisted on being on his own. He didn't even take Kosovo with him, and considering how strict he was with Kosovo, it was extremely unusual.

Out of all the times for Serbia to act out of character, why _now_? Was he involved in some way?

…

Canada was watching the news when there was a sound like clinking glass, accompanied by a faint flash of light. He turned to see that Romania had apparently used his magic to teleport into the room, and he wasn't alone.

Canada grinned when he saw his lover, and he stood from the chair to wrap him in a hug.

"Damjan, I'm glad you're back," Canada said.

Serbia smiled as he returned the hug, kissing Canada's cheek. Romania cleared his throat, and they turned to regard the other nations.

"Sorry," Canada said.

Poland simply rolled his eyes. Someone else, however, went to hug Canada.

"I heard you got hurt," Moldova said. "Are you okay?"

Canada smiled as he patted Moldova's head. The child had joined their group a few decades ago, and they felt it refreshing to have a child in their midst.

"Hey Alex," Canada said, before turning back to Serbia. "Novak isn't with you?"

Serbia shook his head.

"The other Balkans thought it best to stick together," Serbia said. "Novak went with them to keep an eye on them."

Canada nodded his head in understanding. Kosovo might have been young, but he was more than capable. The real reason why Serbia kept a close eye on Kosovo was because he was still young and inexperienced. And Serbia still had much to teach him.

For the most part, they allowed the humans to do whatever they wanted. Occasionally, they would step in when they didn't approve, or use the situation to their advantage. But more often than not, they would go behind their governments' backs. Which was how Moldova made it a habit of spending the weekends with his brother, unless Romania had other business to deal with.

Canada looked over the others.

"So, how did the meeting go?" he asked.

"Well, in short, everyone knows that Germany, England and Japan are dead," Romania said. "China volunteered to go look for America, while Russia volunteered to check on _you_. Everyone is paranoid about the whole thing."

"Like, I don't blame them," Poland said. "We totally don't know everyone involved with them. Like, imagine if it turned out Bulgaria was a member."

Romania winced.

"That _would_ be unpleasant," he said. "I rather like him."

"Oh, and France and Spain decided to look for the Italy brothers, and dragged Gilbert and Miguel with them," Serbia said.

"Good," Canada sighed in relief. "They should be able to protect him."

"Like, I'm more concerned about when France and Spain will get together," Poland said. "Like, it's totally obvious that they're into each other."

"Obvious or not, it's not that simple," Romania said. "The two of them are still bound by their politics. Not to mention, they have history together. It's a bit harder for them to let bygones be bygones."

Canada smiled. Seeing his friends like this made the past few days seem like a distant nightmare. However…

"What happens now?" Canada asked.

Everyone was silent, and the light-hearted atmosphere from earlier disappeared.

"Everyone's paranoid," Serbia said. "This hasn't happened before. And the possibility was raised that the deaths were caused by nations. China happened to mention that the method used to kill Japan was specifically a method for nations. No one even knows who to blame."

"Like, _we_ know who to blame," Poland said.

"But we can't expose them," Romania said. "Doing so would risk exposing ourselves. Even though we're not guilty of murder, we _did_ deceive the world."

"The ends justify the means," Canada said. "In the end, our efforts will be best for all nations."

"If only we can get everyone else to see things our way," Serbia sighed. "I managed to see a few of the Africans, and they're still mistrustful."

"Like, I can't blame them," Poland said. "So, is there something to eat?"

"I baked some cookies," Canada said, before looking towards Romania. "I hope you don't mind. I was starting to feel restless."

Romania gave a small smile.

"Of course not," he said. "And I don't think Feliks minds either."

As Romania had said, as soon as he heard that there were cookies, Poland was out of the room like a bat out of hell.

…

"I don't see how this will help," Iceland said as he opened the front door.

It was Denmark's idea to get as far away as possible from Germany, where the nation had been killed. Considering the fact that Denmark was Germany's neighbour, the others couldn't blame him.

"This is far enough away," Denmark said.

Iceland sighed, before leading the way inside. The other Nordics scattered, having their own rooms in Iceland's house. They had their own rooms in _everyone's_ houses.

Iceland shook his head, before massaging his temple. Already he could feel a headache forming, and they hadn't even been here for an hour.

…

Armenia felt her eyebrow twitch as she listened to Azerbaijan and Georgia arguing. And to think, it was Georgia who suggested that the three of them stay together.

Knowing that the two of them would argue (or at the very least bicker), Armenia had volunteered to drive. And she was finding it incredibly difficult not to stop the car and strangle the two of them. Then perhaps she could have some peace and quiet.

She actually found herself missing the days of the Soviet Union. At least then, the two of them had refrained from arguing as much as possible out of fear of upsetting Russia.

…

Israel massaged his temples, staring at the nation across from him. The nation that he had to ask to remain behind to allow him to explain the situation.

Oman calmly sipped his coffee, occasionally stealing glances to the nation sitting next to Israel. Israel had wanted to spend some extra time with his lover, and since he had remained behind, it was the perfect time, especially since most of the others were already gone.

"I take it you know about what's going on?" Oman asked.

"That's right," Israel said.

"And are you responsible?"

"No," Israel's lover said. "There was another group."

"Really? What are the odds of there being two secret groups among the nations?"

"How many secret societies are there among the humans?"

Oman paused, before he shrugged.

"Probably true," he said, before his posture relaxed. "What is this about?"

"We thought it best to warn you of the danger," Israel said. "And to ask you again if you'd be willing to join."

Oman had been approached a long time ago, but he turned them down. Still, he didn't have a problem with their ideals, other than the fact that they were ideals, and so had kept their existence a secret.

"I don't think I want to join," Oman said. "…How dangerous are the others?"

"We've confirmed that at least two of them are cannibals," Israel's lover said.

Oman choked on his coffee. The other two couldn't help the small smiles that played on their lips. Although Oman tried to act dignified, he didn't exactly have the grace.

"Please tell me that's just an exaggeration," Oman said. "Like the Europeans during the Age of Discovery?"

"Unfortunately, no," Israel said. "For one thing, we had a North and South American confirm it."

Oman shuddered.

"And… I heard about…" he started.

"He's a bit nervous," Israel's lover interrupted, knowing where Oman's train of thought was leading him. "And he's not letting Anika out of his sight."

"I don't blame him," Israel said. "After what almost happened to him…"

Oman shuddered again.

"…I'll think about it," he said at last. "Just… Tell me who to look out for."

"I suggest you don't trust anyone," Israel said. "But, if you want names… Mexico, Venezuela, Egypt, Somalia, Eritrea, Libya, Ethiopia, and we suspect Switzerland and South Korea."

"Switzerland?" Oman repeated. "He would break his rule of neutrality?"

"If it even existed in the first place," Israel's lover said. "For all we know, it could have been a farce. Like Apartheid."

Oman swallowed thickly, before nodding his head.

"I'll be careful," he said. "And… I suggest you are too. Because I have a feeling that a conflict between your groups would be coming soon."

"Let's hope you're wrong," Israel said.


	12. Chapter 11

**Thanks to and Eternal Nexus Warrior for reviewing.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 11**

When night fell and they still hadn't found either Italy or Romano, France and the others stopped at the umpteenth house where they were searching for Italy. They knew that it was necessary for nations to have dwellings in most major cities for political reasons, but when looking for someone, it was a hassle.

France and Spain made their way to the master bedroom, while Portugal and Prussia made their way to the guestroom. Prussia made sure that the others wouldn't be able to eavesdrop before going towards Portugal.

"Need a hand?" Prussia asked.

"Do you speak Latin?" Portugal responded.

"…I'll admit, I'm a bit rusty. I haven't had the need to speak Latin since Martin Luther."

"Then do me a favour and rewrite each word backwards. I'll work on translating when I'm finished here."

Prussia hesitated, seeing Portugal reading the complicated text without the aid of a spare piece of paper. He sighed.

"He was making sure that no one else could read it," he said.

"He was making sure an outsider wouldn't be able to understand it," Portugal agreed. "Reading each word backwards makes it difficult. Then you need to focus on the sentence, and _then_ you need to try to make sense of it. My Latin is rusty, but not _too_ rusty. I can't make sense of it without mentally translating it."

Prussia paused for a moment.

"Want me to get something for that headache?" he asked.

"Thank you," Portugal said, smiling.

Prussia quickly made his way to the kitchen, finding a medicine drawer with aspirin and filling a glass of water. He returned to Portugal soon enough, who accepted the two items but didn't immediately drink.

"Any idea what that is?" Prussia asked.

"Details about nations," Portugal said. "Official and personal."

"Like?"

"Military strength. Population. Hobbies. Relationships."

"And… what are they planning to do with that information?"

"…There are notes underneath the statistics. Notes that discuss the personality of the nation, along with military strength and history. And then there's a verdict."

"What are the verdicts?"

"In Germany's file, they said 'death'. I read it further, and they seemed to decide that Germany was too much of a threat. They wanted him out of the way."

"Seriously? They didn't think he'd be a good recruit based on World War Two?"

Portugal looked at Prussia oddly, before shaking his head.

"No," he said. "It said that Germany wouldn't be able to share. And that afterwards, he became afraid of the possibility of history repeating and would bar all possibilities."

"Well… Okay, they're not wrong," Prussia said. "Do you think they have files on their members?"

"I don't know," Portugal admitted. "I only grabbed our files. I want to be sure about what they have in mind for us. I'll ask Vlad to get the rest later."

Portugal leaned back, before grabbing the bottle of pills and taking one.

"This is a lot more complicated than it looks," he said.

"And it already looks complicated," Prussia said.

"I thought that it was _just_ Latin. But they also threw in some of the Italian Vulgar Latin, and then some Italian."

"Why go through all that?"

"I guess they needed to be able to write something for the concepts that didn't exist in Latin."

"So… do you still want me to try to decipher?"

"Just write them down. It should be easier for me if these words aren't backwards."

Prussia nodded his head, and quickly went to Italy's study in search of a pen and paper. While he was there, he noticed something else. It was a picture of someone that Prussia hadn't expected would be among Italy's things. Especially in a frame like _that_.

His thoughts idly drifted to Lithuania, and realisation dawned. He suspected that he knew who Italy was in a relationship with. And he suspected he knew the identity of yet another member of Requiem.

…

"We're finally here," China said. "Come on."

Macau quickly paid the taxi driver while the others made their way to America's front door. China frowned as soon as he reached the door, and he quickly grabbed the doorknob.

"Unlocked," he said.

Understanding dawned on all of them, realising that the situation was risky. China bit his lip, regretting the fact that he didn't have his wok with him. Hopefully, the intruder wasn't still there.

The four of them hesitated for a bit longer, before entering the house. They were immediately hit by a foul stench.

" _That_ doesn't look good," Hong Kong said.

"Don't you mean 'smell'?" Taiwan asked.

China went in further, and once they reached the living room, the cause of the odour became clear.

Two bodies were lying there, horribly brutalised. Only the faces remained relatively intact. There was also a pool of dried vomit near the smaller body.

"That's DC," Hong Kong said.

"The capital?" China asked.

"I wonder if the others know?" Macau asked.

"We need to find out," Taiwan said. "Does anyone have a way to reach the states?"

"I have the numbers of the New England states," Hong Kong said.

"Call them," China said. "See if anything else happened. And see if they know about it."

Hong Kong nodded, removing his phone.

…

Ontario bit his lip when the nations arrived. Russia smiled at him, but he could tell that Russia wasn't in the mood for a waste of time.

"Privet," Russia greeted. "You wouldn't happen to know where Canada is, would you?"

Ontario shook his head, before looking over the nations.

"You must be tired after the trip," he said. "Let me at least make you some hot cocoa. Unless you prefer coffee?"

Russia narrowed his eyes, keeping the smile on his face.

"What we need is Canada's location," Russia said.

"Last I heard of him, he was at the Ottawa house," Ontario said. "After we heard from America's states, I went to check on him, but he wasn't there."

"We know," Russia said. "We went there too. That's where we found _your_ address."

Ontario shook his head.

"I don't know where Canada is," he said. "But… I'm worried."

"You said you heard from America's states," Ukraine said. "What do you mean? What did they say?"

Ontario flinched, before lowering his head.

"Maryland and Virginia went to America's house in DC after he and DC failed to respond," he said. "They found both of them, dead."

Ukraine's hand flew to her mouth in horror, but Russia frowned.

"Why kill the state?" he asked.

"The killer must have still been there when DC went to investigate," Lithuania suggested. "And technically, he's a capital, not a state."

Russia was silent for a moment, before he turned back to Ontario.

"What do you know of the political situation in America?" Russia asked.

Ontario winced.

"Well…" he said. "It's not good. Without America… the United States aren't united anymore. There's fighting amongst them – understandable, seeing as they're tense – and each government is breaking away. They're each becoming their own nation. But… Alaska approached us and asked if she could be Canadian. She doesn't want to be on her own."

Russia's eyes widened when he heard of his former territory.

"Where is she now?" Russia asked.

"She's with Quebec," Ontario said. "I might be the capital state, but Quebec is Canada's assistant."

"So, if we want to know more about Canada, we should go to Quebec?"

"It might help."

Russia sighed, before heading towards the door.

"We need to leave," he said. "The sooner we get to Quebec, the better."

"Wait," Lithuania said. "Shouldn't we rest a while? Maybe accept the offer of coffee or…?"

Russia turned back to regard Lithuania, but the latter didn't shrink back. There was a tense silence for a moment, before Russia sighed.

"Very well," he said. "A quick cup of coffee."

Ontario smiled, before heading towards the kitchen.

"I'll help him," Lithuania said, following after Ontario.

Once the two of them were alone in the kitchen, Ontario rounded on Lithuania.

"How's Matthew?" he asked.

"I haven't seen him myself," Lithuania admitted. "But I hear he's doing fine."

Ontario sighed in relief.

"Have you encountered any of the others?" Ontario asked.

"Regina had an encounter with Venezuela," Lithuania said. "Turns out, he's one of them, and he's also a cannibal."

Ontario shuddered.

"I can't believe that something like this is real," he said. "I mean… bloodthirsty cannibals?"

"I know," Lithuania said. "Makes me wonder what else they're capable of."

"I'd rather not know," Ontario said. "I hate this whole thing. I know we're supposed to support you, but I didn't think that we have to actually…"

"If you want, you can withdraw. You and the others. No one's forcing you to actually take part."

Ontario shook his head.

"No, they hurt Matthew," he said. "And they killed a state. A region, like me. I'm going to do my best to combat them."

Lithuania sighed, before nodding his head.

"We appreciate it," he said. "Hopefully, this won't get bloody, but if there's a chance…"

"I'll continue to support you like always," Ontario said. "No matter what it may require from me."

Lithuania smiled.

"Thank you," he said.

The two of them had been working on the coffee, and once that was finished, they got a tray and loaded the mugs, sugar and milk, before heading out to the others.

"Sorry for the wait," Ontario said.

The others took their mugs, adding milk and sugar as required. They didn't speak about anything, and Ontario could see the tension that all of them had.

Tension that was justified. He realised that if the existence of their group was exposed before the existence of the other group, then _they_ would be the ones to blame for the deaths. Perhaps, if they managed to expose the other group…

Ontario just didn't know _how_.

…

They were lounging in the living room, despite the lateness of the hour. They were all waiting.

When they heard the front door being unlocked, they all straightened in their seats. Only a handful of nations had the keys to this house.

Sure enough, the two leaders arrived within half a minute, and Romano leaned against the doorframe.

"You're finally here," Greece said, moving towards them.

He wrapped his arms around Romano, leaning down to kiss his lover. Italy ignored them, instead focusing on the other occupants of the room.

"Anything happen while we were in transit?" Italy asked.

"Not really," Argentina said. "Egypt and Peru went to check on a potential recruit, and Ethiopia and the others went to get our guest of honour."

Italy chuckled.

"They're going to regret making us aware of so many members," he said.

…

The leader clenched his fists. It was all he could do to keep them from trembling.

The cause of his distress was the existence of those files found in Italy's house. Romania had gone to fetch the additional files, and was busy translating.

But what Portugal found was the most disturbing. He had opted for only translating the conclusion. Few of them were deemed 'low risk', but had the additional annotation that should they get in the way, they would be killed. Some of them had the note 'potential recruit', and some had 'death' as the conclusion. And some of them had 'potentially useful'.

Knowing that these were the things they had in mind for his allies – his _friends_ – made him sick with dread.

He had something else that he needed to do, but he did inform everyone to be careful. Not that they needed the additional reminder. He also told each of them what their conclusion in Requiem's files said. Especially the ones at most risk.

And then there was the fact Israel had confirmed to him that Mexico had said that Egypt had been hoping to recruit him. And he wondered what they would be willing to do.

They needed more information.

…

"Finally," Black sighed. "Home, sweet home."

White rolled her eyes, before seeing North coming to greet them. He looked pale, and she was immediately on guard.

"What happened?" she asked.

"Didn't you see the message?" North asked.

"What message?"

"Gilbert and Miguel discovered that Italy is part of Requiem. They found files in one of Italy's homes. Files on all the nations. Some of them have the verdict 'death'."

"Everyone they're planning on killing," Black said. "This could be useful."

"Maybe. But…"

North shook his head. He looked disturbed.

"There's more," Mozambique said. "Isn't there?"

"Apparently, I'm supposed to be South's prisoner," North said. "His personal plaything."

"That's horrible!" Angola exclaimed.

Everyone started pulling out their phones, checking to see if they also had messages. They all grew worried.

"This doesn't look good," Morocco said.

"It's fishy," Sao Tomé said. "They would just leave things like that lying about?"

"It's written in Latin," North said. "And each individual word is written backwards. Vlad and Miguel are working on the translations. And to make things more difficult, what doesn't exist in Latin was replaced by Vulgar Latin and Italian."

"Okay, _now_ it's not so fishy anymore."

"What about Romano?" Angola asked. "Do you think he's part of it too?"

"Not sure," North said. "But I guess it's only a matter of time before we find out."

…

Somalia and Ethiopia walked up to the house, followed by one of their allies. They had the important job of retrieving one of the members of Alvora. And they had decided on one that would be rather weak.

"Alright," Ethiopia said. "Here we are."

With expert ease, Somalia managed to pick the lock. They quietly entered, before searching for the owner of the house. After a while they returned to the entrance, and the two Africans were confused.

"He's not here," Somalia said. "Considering we gave him enough time to get settled…"

"He never returned here," Ethiopia said. "Now where could he have gone…?"

"You should have checked before we came here," the third member snapped.

"But this means that we have a new opportunity," Ethiopia said. "If he's with the others, then we can find their base of operations."

The third smirked.

"That _does_ sound like it could be fun," she said.

…

Iraq tossed and turned, before opening his eyes with a gasp. He was covered in a cold sweat, and the nightmare played through his mind.

The faces of Germany, Japan and England. The three of them were covered in blood. The three of them were dead. And there were others behind them. He was sure that one of them looked like America, but the others' faces were nothing more than a silhouette.

He knew that it was the stress affecting him. To hear that three nations were dead, and then another (he never knew if he should refer to South Africa as one or two nations) was attacked. Something was happening, and he didn't like it.

In that instant, he regretted the decision of the Middle Eastern nations to remain apart. Regardless of the unsure atmosphere, there was just too much bad blood between them for them to want to remain together for their safety.

Bad blood, or pride? He wasn't too sure.

He shook his head. This was not the time to think like that. He didn't need anyone's protection. He didn't need to stay with anyone else. And he _certainly_ didn't need to seek out anyone just because he had a nightmare.

This wasn't the first crisis they've faced. They would come out of this without a problem. And in a few years, they would make jokes of this. Nothing to worry about.

These were the lies he told himself in order to fall asleep.

…

China was on the phone with Russia. Russia had called to inform him about Canada being missing, along with America being dead. China told him that he was a little too late to the second part. China had already seen the corpse.

Well, he _did_ manage to disturb Russia. A _very_ rare feat. It would seem that even Russia felt uncomfortable about cannibalism.

But it was very unsettling. It was one thing to use the barbaric way of murdering a nation by eating a piece of the heart, but to go full-on cannibal?

And China knew that cannibals tended to cook their meat. They weren't animals. But he could clearly see teeth marks on America's corpse. Not only did they have a cannibal, but a barbaric cannibal.

China refused to believe that America's stories about zombies might be true.

The capital didn't seem to have suffered the exact same fate. The organs were missing, but he didn't have any teeth marks. Which meant that the cannibal wasn't in a state of bloodlust when they killed the state.

He also couldn't help but think that there was more than one. After all, America wasn't easy to overpower. There _had_ to be more than one.

That being said, he couldn't help but wonder about Canada. The fact that he was missing while America was dead was extremely suspicious.

China also told Russia about Hong Kong's enquiries to the states. After what had happened, they were worried that they could be next. And so, they went into hiding.

"It's not a bad idea," Russia said. "You might want to get out of there as well, before you become a target."

"I know," China said. "I don't like this one bit."

…

Texas was trembling, and Minnesota shot her a worried look.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Minnesota asked.

"I'm fine," Texas said. "Just not used to being so far north."

It wasn't exactly a lie, but there was another reason why she was trembling. And it had nothing to do with the cold.

She _knew_. As soon as she heard that America had been killed, she knew who was responsible.

Mexico.

She wondered, had she told America the truth, if he would still be alive.

Knowing what Mexico was capable of, Texas wanted to be as far away from her own state as possible.

Away from Mexico.


	13. Chapter 12

**Thanks to ZadArchie and AquaEclipse for reviewing.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 12**

Malaysia stared at the ceiling. He should have been sleeping, but there was too much on his mind.

The current state of the world was alarming. Everyone lived in fear. Everyone was paranoid. And no one knew who the murderers of Japan, England or Germany could be.

Malaysia had returned to his home, along with Indonesia, East Timor and Brunei. Singapore had some important work to do and would be joining them in a few days, while Philippines outright refused to come with them.

The plan had been to get all the ASEAN nations together, but Myanmar had gone with Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal, while Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand and Laos were together. He was worried about Singapore and Philippines, who were on their own.

The descriptions of England and Japan's murders were horrifying. Japan had his heart carved out, while England was brutalised. At least Germany had died swiftly, apparently.

Imagining who could have done it, and who might be next…

Malaysia hoped to never find out.

…

Philippines smirked as she parked the car. It was too easy to get this car. Just like it had been easy to arrange for a private plane to take her to her own country, once she retrieved the cargo.

As quietly as she could, she got out of the car and walked to the front door. She had a key to the front door – something that the owner didn't know she possessed. She also had the code for the alarm system.

She smirked as she tiptoed to the bedroom, seeing her quarry sleeping peacefully on the bed. Singapore's hair was out of its usual bun, spreading like an inky black pool around her head. The normally strict, serious, business-like woman looked so peaceful. It was almost a shame that this was probably the last time that she would look so at ease.

Almost.

Philippines pulled out the handgun, ensuring that the silencer was on.

She licked her lips when she saw the blood spatter the bed, some of it going beyond the bed. An instant kill. Of course, the gun had regular ammunition and not the special bullets they used for killing nations. Singapore would wake up from this.

And by that time, they would be in a special home of Philippines. A home that only the other members of Requiem knew about. A home far away from civilisation.

It would just be her and Singapore.

Philippines shuddered in anticipation. There would be many opportunities to see Singapore bleed. Many opportunities for Singapore to writhe underneath her. Many opportunities to hear Singapore scream.

She could hardly wait.

She carefully picked up her cargo, before heading back to the front door. She deposited Singapore in the trunk of the car, before returning to the front door and closing it. No need for anyone to think that something was wrong.

By the time anyone realised that something was amiss, it would be too late to save Singapore. And within a few weeks, at most a few months, Singapore would be loyal to Requiem. Loyal to Philippines. And would be as obsessed with Philippines as Philippines was of her.

…

Indonesia went to the kitchen, hoping for a glass of water. And he couldn't help but check in on the others, wondering if they were as stressed as he was.

East Timor was fast asleep, snoring softly. He was even cuddling with his blanket. Indonesia had to admire his brother for being able to sleep through anything.

Brunei was a different story. He was tossing and turning, but Indonesia could see through the gloom that Brunei's eyes were closed. A nightmare, then. And it wasn't surprising. With everything going on, tensions were high. And no one wanted to admit that they were fearing for their lives. That _they_ could be next.

And when Indonesia went to Malaysia's room, he could see that the other was also awake, based on the fact that he turned his head towards the door as soon as Indonesia came to a stop.

"Can't sleep?" Malaysia asked.

"Not really," Indonesia said. "You neither, right?"

"Yeah."

"I was on my way to get a glass of water."

Malaysia was silent for a moment, before he stood. The two of them made their way to the kitchen, and after getting the glasses, helped themselves.

"There's something else bothering you," Indonesia observed.

"How can you tell?" Malaysia asked.

"I know you. Akmal, what's wrong?"

Malaysia sighed.

"I think something's happened," he admitted. "I've got a bad feeling."

"Does it have anything to do with Tala not wanting to join us?" Indonesia asked.

"You thought it was strange too?"

"Yeah."

Malaysia pursed his lips.

"There's definitely something wrong there," he said. "But… there's something else. I get the feeling that something bad is happening."

"Since when do _you_ have ESP?" Indonesia joked.

Malaysia rolled his eyes.

"You don't need to have ESP to know that something's wrong," Malaysia said.

Indonesia nodded, smile falling.

"We should at least get some peace of mind tomorrow," Indonesia said. "And who knows? Things might be better once the sun shines."

"I guess you're right," Malaysia said. "Come on. We need to go back to bed. We need our rest."

…

France and Spain jumped in surprise when a shrill sound pierced the night. The two of them were sharing a bed, which the two didn't mind too much. And France's phone was ringing.

The screen said that the caller was China, and France groaned, before answering.

"Mon ami, do you have any idea what time it is?" he asked.

"America is dead," China said.

France shot up, and Spain looked towards him in worry.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"I'm in the same building as the body," China said. "And there's more. The one that killed America was a cannibal."

France felt himself pale.

"What do you mean, a cannibal?" he asked.

Spain pushed himself up, staring at France in concern.

"There are chunks missing from America's arms, shoulders, and…" China paused, as though he was sickened. "Those chunks have teeth marks. _Human_ teeth marks."

France felt a surge of nausea.

"Who would do this?" France asked.

"I don't know," China said, "but Russia called me earlier. He said that Canada's missing."

"You're not suspecting Mathieu of something like this, are you?" France demanded.

"This is very suspicious."

France sighed.

"We also haven't been able to find Italy yet," France said. "Neither of them seems capable of what you described. I think that the odds are more likely that they were both captured by whoever killed America and Germany."

"…That still leaves us with something bad happening," China said.

"I know. I don't like it either, but all we can do now is speculate."

The two disconnected the call, and France soon leaned back on the bed again.

"What happened?" Spain asked. "What was that about cannibalism?"

"America is dead," France said. "And China found evidence of human teeth marks on him."

"Dios mio," Spain said, crossing himself, and France couldn't help but smile. It was rare that Spain felt horrified enough to do that. "Who would do this? Humans, or nations?"

"I don't know. And Canada is missing."

"And we still haven't found Ita yet. Do you think they might be hurt?"

"I hope they're not. I don't like this at all. If this was a war, it would be a bit more understandable. Something like this has never happened before."

"I know. That's what worries me. We aren't used to something like this, and it will take a while for us to adjust, if something else happens. How many others will die before that happens?"

"Let's hope none."

…

 _He struggled against the bonds that restrained him to the slab beneath him, tears of fear running down his cheeks. His small body had been no match against the older nation._

 _But more than that, it was the betrayal he felt. The man was supposed to be his family. But instead…_

 _He could hear the chants of the humans. Could see the nation coming closer. And he screamed when he felt the knife pierce his chest._

" _STOP!"_

Brazil awoke with a gasp, his body covered in sweat. The scar on his chest tingled, and he reached up towards it.

"Roberto? Are you okay?"

He turned towards White, who was looking at him in concern. She frowned when she noticed that he was rubbing his chest.

"That memory again?" she asked.

He could only nod his head. Tupi hadn't been happy about his existence. Saw him as proof that the land was no longer his, or that of the other tribes. And so, Tupi had tried to perform a ritual to eat his heart, killing Brazil and absorbing the strength that he had gained. Would have gained. If it wasn't for the fact that Portugal had arrived and put a stop to it, Brazil would have been dead a long time ago.

His people might have opposed the Europeans, but Brazil was grateful. He owed his entire existence to Portugal.

He also had Portugal to thank for helping him fall in love. After rescuing him from Tupi, Portugal felt uncomfortable with leaving him alone in his country, so he took Brazil to another location. To a colony that wasn't his own.

The Cape of Good Hope.

She was an anomaly. A colony born before the first settlement. Born when Europeans first stepped foot on her soil. That was what made Portugal call her Cabo da Boa Esparança (but he didn't let go of her identity as Cabo das Tormentas that easily). She was proof that a new era was dawning.

As soon as her existence became known, she was brought in as a member of Alvora. She was raised on their beliefs. And she became the leader of the Africans in Alvora, simply because she was the first.

Another thing that had been bizarre about her was the fact that she was younger than any of the other new nations when they manifested. Normally, they would physically be about four or five. She had been about two. And her existence had been kept a secret for as long as possible. As far as Netherlands knew, she was only born once Cape Town was established.

Portugal had kept her in his own lands because she was so young, and because Khoisan, the nation of the indigenous people of the area, had brought her to Portugal. It was bad when a nation couldn't trust his own people. Portugal had brought Brazil to her, and he thought that he would have to take care of the little toddler. He was surprised to find out that she was technically older than him, and that Portugal wanted _her_ to take care of _him_.

His pride was a little stung, which Portugal declared was a sign that he was recovering from the trauma.

He never would have thought that the little girl who could barely walk would one day become his lover.

And she was looking at him with concern. He hated seeing that look on her face. He preferred to see her smiling.

"How long?" White asked.

"Since you called me to tell me about the cannibals," Brazil said.

White sighed.

"Ek's jammer, skat," she said. "But why didn't you tell me about it sooner?"

"I didn't want to worry you," he said. "And I didn't want you to feel guilty. Because you're not."

She sighed, hugging him.

"It's alright," she said. You're not going to have a run-in with them. I won't allow it."

He smiled, before he hugged her back. He wasn't surprised that she would say something like that. And he knew that she would be able to back it up. One of the qualities of the nations of Alvora was that they were stronger than they seemed.

He just hoped that Requiem's nations weren't even stronger.

…

Russia stopped in front of the house. Ontario had given him Quebec's address, and he hoped that they could have some luck in finding answers here.

Quebec was waiting for them, and the nations entered without delay. Russia saw Alaska in the living room, and she stood from her seat.

"Russia," she greeted.

"Privet," Russia greeted. "I hear you chose to become a Canadian province?"

"That's right. I don't want to be on my own."

Russia smiled, before turning to Quebec.

"So, where _is_ Canada?" he asked.

"He's sick," Quebec said. "He's staying in Newfoundland until he feels better."

Russia scowled.

"Why didn't Ontario say anything?" Russia asked.

"Because he doesn't know," Quebec said. "It's my job to act as Canada's assistant. Which means that it's _my_ job to know where Canada is."

"Why go to Newfoundland?" Ukraine asked.

"She's a better caretaker than the rest of us."

Russia groaned.

"Then it would seem that we're going to Newfoundland," Russia said.

"No need," Quebec said. "You can just call him."

"He doesn't answer."

"…He sometimes forgets to plug the phone into the charger. I can try him now, if you want."

"Alright. See if _you_ have any luck."

…

Canada and Serbia groaned when they were called awake. Canada noticed that it was Quebec calling him.

"What's wrong, Olivier?" he asked.

"Russia's here. I told him that you were sick and recovering in Newfoundland. He wants to talk to you."

Canada noticed that he was speaking Quebecois. Which meant that Russia was most likely in the same room.

"You know that Russia can also speak French, right?" Canada asked.

"…D'accord," Quebec said.

Canada rolled his eyes as he heard movement on the other end.

"Hello Matvey," Russia greeted. "I heard you're not feeling well."

"Yeah," Canada said, glad that his voice was already thick with sleep. "What's going on? Why are you with Quebec?"

"Several nations are missing, so we decided to investigate. America is dead."

Canada bit his lip.

"Alaska told me," he said. "She said that without America, the states are splitting apart. She's worried about being on her own."

"And you didn't coax her or convince her in some other way?"

"I was surprised when I got her call."

Canada started coughing, a result of having slept and being awoken abruptly in the middle of the night. Luckily, it worked well with the excuse that he was sick.

"You haven't gained any more territory, have you?" Russia asked.

"No," Canada gasped. "No one else. But… It might just be my imagination, but I think I saw Mexico acting strangely recently."

"Mexico? How did she act strangely?"

"I don't know how to describe it. But… Well, if you want to know about Mexico, why not ask Texas? She's one of America's states, but she used to be Mexican territory. I'm sure Alaska can help you get in contact with her. And, if you want, I can see if I can come to Montreal."

"Alright then. I will ask. And do not burden yourself with coming if you're not feeling well. Instead, I think we'll go to _you_."

Canada winced.

"Alright then," Canada said. "Good luck with that."

The call was disconnected, and Canada groaned.

Serbia had gone to get a glass of water for Canada after the coughing fit, and handed the glass to Canada, who drank it all within seconds.

"What's going on?" Serbia asked.

"Well, Russia thinks I have something to do with America's death," Canada said. "But Olivier managed to convince him that I was sick. I also tried to lead him on Mexico's trail by saying she was acting suspiciously. And I told him to ask Texas. I've been thinking about it for the last few days. Mexico doesn't have any states, but Texas came from Mexico. If she knows _anything_ about Requiem…"

"Then she could expose them without _us_ risking exposure as well," Serbia finished.

"That's right. Now, we need to wake Vlad. Because Russia thinks I'm in Newfoundland, and he wants to visit. I need to get there before he does, and I need to find a way to make myself look sick."

"Well, I think I know of a good way to make yourself sick. Just ask Will for some of his cooking."

"…You know that he's going to kill you, right?"

Serbia shrugged, a smirk on his face. Canada smiled.

"I also need to let Charlotte know that I'm coming," he said.

"Tell her I said 'hi'," Serbia said.

…

Wales tiptoed through the house, making sure that everyone was asleep. Once he determined that he was the only one who was awake, he made his way back to his room, locking the door. He had somewhere else he wanted to be.

Closing his eyes, he focused on where he wanted to be. He felt the magic surge through him.

"Will!"

Wales opened his eyes and grinned as he plopped down on the bed next to his lover.

"Sorry for the abrupt intrusion, Jeng," Wales said.

North Korea shook his head.

"It's not an intrusion," he said. "More like a pleasant surprise. It's been a while since you did this."

Wales had frequently used his magic to visit North Korea, making sure that he wasn't going mad from the isolation. Before they realised it, they had fallen in love. And Wales had often ensured that he cast the spell after the sun went down in North Korea.

He was the quiet one among the British brothers. The one that was often overlooked. And he used it to his full advantage.

"How much longer are you going to stay with your brothers?" North asked.

"Until their paranoia dies down," Wales said. "We're all affected by Arthur's death."

North snuggled closer, sighing.

"I want you to come stay here, with me," North said. "With Yong Soo being who he is, I'm not going back home. Until I'm needed elsewhere, I'm staying here. And I want you to join me."

Wales kissed him on the forehead.

"Soon," he said. "I promise you."

 **The reason why Russia can speak French is because the Russian nobility used to speak French.**

 **White is specifically the personification of European influence in South Africa. And although the first colony was established in 1652, there was contact since 1488. Portugal in particular was quite busy there without establishing a proper settlement.**


	14. Chapter 13

**Thanks to ZadArchie and AquaEclipse for reviewing.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 13**

Quebec was drumming his fingers in boredom, trying very hard not to glare at the nations. They had called Texas earlier, and when they found out that she was only a few hours away in Minnesota, Russia had insisted that she come to them immediately.

And they had nothing else to do. Quebec didn't like having strangers in his personal house. It was one of the reasons why he preferred to stay in Montreal instead of his capital. There was an office in Quebec City where he would do official work, but he wanted to separate his personal life from his work life. The only exception was when Canada asked him to do something.

Quebec glanced towards Lithuania, who only gave a small shrug in return. Lithuania knew well that Quebec didn't like unwanted guests, but from what he could tell, Lithuania was walking on thin ice where Russia was concerned. He noticed that everyone would often give Lithuania a suspicious look. It might be necessary for Quebec to find out what was going on.

Everyone became alert when they heard a car up the driveway, and Quebec stood. It was probably Texas and Minnesota. Quebec went to open the door and smiled at the two.

"I'm glad you could make it," Quebec said. "Sorry for dragging you all the way here."

Minnesota waved him off, and Texas grinned.

"No problem," Texas said. "I was actually happy for the invitation."

Quebec frowned in confusion. It was only autumn, but he could see that she was shivering from the cold, despite the thick coat. He was reminded of the fact that out of all the people at his house right now, she was the one the least used to cold.

"Come on in," Quebec said. "Would you like me to turn up the heating?"

"If it wouldn't be too much trouble," Texas said.

Quebec led them to the living room, before he adjusted the thermostat. Texas and Minnesota looked a bit uncomfortable by the sight of Russia, but managed to take a seat on the couch next to Alaska.

"So, you're Canadian now?" Minnesota asked.

"That's right," Alaska said. "You're not upset, are you?"

"Why would I be upset? It's not like any of us are American anymore."

"And with everything going on, it might be best to be part of a nation, instead of being on your own," Texas said.

"Are we all comfortable now?" Russia asked, interrupting the former American states. "If so, I would like to ask Texas something important."

"Alright," Texas said, nodding hesitantly.

"Canada mentioned something about Mexico acting suspiciously. You wouldn't happen to know anything about Mexico that _we_ wouldn't know, would you?"

Quebec was watching Texas, and he didn't fail to notice the colour drain from her face. Her expression didn't change, but her shoulders tensed up.

"I… I don't know what you mean," she said.

Quebec glanced towards Lithuania, who subtly nodded his head. Both of them could clearly see that she _did_ know something.

"You're not very good at lying," Russia said. "So, why not tell the truth?"

Texas shook her head.

"I _am_ telling you," she said, "I don't know what you mean. I-I don't know anything about Mexico that…"

"I don't like liars," Russia said coldly.

Quebec could see that Texas avoided everyone's eyes, and that her hands were trembling. She knew something, and it traumatised her.

"Perhaps I could have a word with her in private?" Quebec asked. "She's scared. I know how to get her to relax a little."

Russia shot him a look, before shrugging. Quebec held out his hand for Texas, who hesitated before taking it. Quebec led her to his study, and he closed the door.

"I don't know what you hope to achieve," Texas said. "I don't know anything."

"Requiem," Quebec said.

He was right. Upon hearing the name, Texas froze, and he was surprised that she still had colour that could be drained from her face. Eventually, she shook her head.

"I-I…" she stuttered.

"We told everyone that Mathieu is sick," Quebec said. "But that is not the case. He was attacked by Mexico. He learned about Requiem. And he's in hiding."

"He… he was attacked?" Texas repeated. "How… how did he escape? They… they don't allow…"

"He was lucky. But America wasn't. And if you know anything that could prevent more nations from sharing America's fate…"

Texas was trembling now, and she kept shaking her head, but it was less out of denial, and more out of an apparent attempt to shake off the thoughts.

"I… I should have warned him," she whispered. "Alfred might still be alive if I'd only…"

Quebec sighed.

"I can help you," he said.

"No, you can't," Texas said. "They're too strong."

"We don't know that. Please? Don't you think that they should _know_ about the threat? America's not the only nation that was killed."

She bit her lip, before she nodded. Quebec gave her a small smile, before they went to join the others.

"Do you know something now?" Russia asked.

"Y-yeah…" Texas stuttered. "Mexico… She's part of a group called 'Requiem'."

"Requiem?" Ukraine asked.

"What does this group want?" Estonia asked.

"The short version: conquest," Texas said. "The long version: They hate how peaceful the world's become, and wish to start a war worse than both World Wars combined."

Everyone's eyes widened, and Russia leaned forward.

"How do you know this?" he asked.

"I… I used to be a state of Mexico," Texas said. "But… well, you've probably noticed that Mexico doesn't have any other states."

"Yeah," Minnesota said. "I always wondered about that."

"Well, you see… It's because they used their states for… for experiments."

"Experiments?" Russia repeated. "What do they do in these experiments?"

Texas shook her head, before she sobbed, the first tears escaping.

"They were… they were researching ways to kill nations," she said. "And a bunch of other things. And… when they ran out of states, they would capture the states of other nations to continue their research."

"What?!" several of the occupants of the room exclaimed.

Texas flinched.

"I'm… I'm sorry that you found out like this," she said. "But… did you ever have states that just disappeared? Or… Were you _supposed_ to have states, but they never manifested?"

The nations were silent. Quebec looked around, and saw that Lithuania in particular looked pale. Quebec remembered when Lithuania tried to have his counties take a life of their own, without success. But more than that, they all knew about Prussia's concern about the fate of his brothers. And as Prussia's lover, Lithuania was the one suffering from the revelation.

"Why wouldn't they have manifested?" Ukraine whispered.

"They _did_ ," Texas said. "But Requiem got a hold of them before the nations found them."

Russia had a flash of fury in his eyes. Quebec found it disconcerting to see Russia without the smile, absolutely furious.

"You _used_ to be a Mexican state," Russia said. "How did you manage to get away?"

Texas flinched again.

"I relied on the will of my people," she said. "I used that to get away. And to gain independence. But Mexico tried to get me back. My only option was to become American."

"They never targeted America's states?" Russia asked.

"They couldn't. Alfred was hyper-aware of everything that happened to the states. An overprotective big brother. I… _might_ have played a role in that."

"What do you mean?" Alaska asked.

"You know that his glasses represented my state? Well… I gave it to him, and I used it to channel some of my will. The will to keep the American states safe."

"And where did you learn to do that?" Estonia asked, intrigued.

"They performed experiments, remember? You don't suffer through all that without learning something."

"This is alarming, it's true," Russia said. "But… how do we know that all of this is real?"

Texas bit her lip, before turning to Minnesota and Alaska.

"Remember the state reunion last month?" she asked. "When Arizona made fun of me for dressing so conservatively?"

"Yeah," Minnesota said. "New Jersey made fun of you too."

"…I'm going to show you _why_."

She stood, shrugging off her coat. She hesitated for a second, before pulling her shirt up, revealing her stomach.

Quebec felt cold horror settle in his stomach. Texas's stomach was covered in scars. Some of them might have been made by a scalpel, but there also appeared to be gunshot wounds.

"What the hell?" Alaska demanded, looking pale.

"There's more," Texas said, turning around.

She pulled her shirt up as far as she could, revealing her back. Quebec hadn't thought it to be possible, but the back looked worse than the stomach. There were cuts, welts, bullet wounds, burns…

"No amount of warfare could have produced _that_ ," Lithuania said, looking towards Russia. "These had to be done personally."

Russia nodded, his eyes wide. Texas pulled her shirt back down, before sitting down again. She hugged herself and trembled, but Quebec knew that it wasn't from the cold.

Quebec was watching Texas closely. Physically, she appeared to be around fifteen. How old was she before she could escape her prison?

The room was silent for a while as they absorbed the information. Finally, Russia cleared his throat.

"You said that they're a group?" Russia asked. "Who else is part of this group?"

"I only know of a few," Texas admitted. "Argentina, Venezuela, Chile, Peru and Philippines. And… all of _them_ are cannibals."

"Is everyone in Requiem a cannibal?" Russia asked.

"I'm not sure," Texas said. "I only know of them."

"What about their leader?" Lithuania asked. "Do you know who it is?"

"No. I'm sorry."

"It's fine," Russia said. "We have a list of names. We can ask one of them for more information."

There was a dark gleam in his eye, and his usual smile returned.

"There's also someone else from the American region," Texas said. "I've never actually seen him. I think he's one of the Caribbean islands. But… if you want to confront them… Be _careful_. They're stronger than they look. And they won't hesitate to kill you if they feel threatened."

Russia nodded.

"We're going to pay Canada a visit," Russia said, "and then we'll go to Mexico."

…

"I can't believe you did this," Newfoundland said, staring at Canada and Romania.

"Blame Olivier," Canada said, yawning. "Sorry for the disturbance, Lottie."

She rolled her eyes.

"At least you didn't wake me up," she said.

"Lucky you," Romania groaned.

Canada moaned, before he ran to the bathroom. Newfoundland raised an eyebrow, before turning to Romania.

"I thought he was _lying_ about being sick?" she asked.

"I had to give him something to make it more convincing," Romania said. "And England _did_ give me some scones when he came over a month ago."

Newfoundland winced.

"Poor Mattie," she said. "Why did you keep it?"

"I meant to throw it out, but forgot about it," Romania said.

Newfoundland shook her head.

"…If Russia's coming, then I guess you need to get out of here," she said. "We don't want more questions."

"I know," Romania said. "Tell Matthew that I'm sorry about the nastiness he was forced to ingest. I guess I was a bit upset when he woke me up."

Newfoundland chuckled.

"The ends justify the means," she said. "He'll understand."

…

Quebec saw the nations off, before returning inside where the three states were. Texas had calmed down substantially, but she was still in a state of shock. Understandable. Knowing what she knew, and being forced to relive it…

"I'll fetch you some hot cocoa in a bit," Quebec said. "But first, I need to make a call."

"Alright," Alaska said, eyes following Quebec as he made his way to the study.

He locked the door, before pulling out his phone.

…

The leader listened to the report from Quebec. He felt his blood boil and freeze at the same time. Just when he thought they figured out how Requiem operated, there was a new development.

Like _this_.

"How have they been able to get away with that for all this time?" he whispered.

"They probably have a master of magic with them," Quebec said. "That's all I can think of that would keep them under our radar."

"They have Egypt. We know of his magic. I'll ask Will and Vlad if they know of any other nations with strong magic, and then we'll investigate. Actually, I think Norway is also on that list of nations, along with the UK brothers."

"What about regions?" Quebec asked. "I know that Louisiana is a user of magic, and I think Massachusetts as well."

"For now, I think we should focus on nations. If we suspect that regions might be involved, then we'll investigate them too. Speaking of which… I think you might want to have a word with those states. Make them understand that Alvora is nothing like Requiem. That we've declared Requiem our enemy, and that we can protect them."

Quebec sighed.

"It's not going to be easy," he said. "After everything Texas has been through… I mean, you should _see_ those scars."

"Just make sure that they realise that we mean no harm," the leader said. "I'm going to have to spread the word now."

"Good luck."

He chuckled wryly, before hanging up. His smile fell, and he turned to his bedmate.

"What's going on?" the other asked.

"We have more information on Requiem," the leader said.

…

"Olivier owes me big time," Newfoundland grumbled.

Russia and the others had come to see Canada, determining that he _was_ , in fact, sick. Newfoundland was actually impressed by the potency of England's cooking after it was left for a month. And Russia and the others had thought it wise to inform Canada about Requiem.

Newfoundland was the one that pointed out that they should be careful who they shared the information with. Since they only had the identities of a few nations, it would be unwise to share the information with others unless their allegiance was assured. One could never be sure whether or not the one they were sharing the information with was a member.

And _then_ came the part which Newfoundland hated. Since it was getting late, and because it would have been suspicious if they _didn't_ , they invited Russia's group to spend the night before they set off the next morning to confront Mexico.

That didn't sound like a good idea either, to be honest. But it wasn't Newfoundland's place to question the judgement of nations.

But now she had to prepare the bedrooms. Thankfully, Lithuania was helping with the cooking. There was no way that Canada was in any state to do anything like that.

She flinched when she heard Canada rush to the bathroom yet again. It was _seriously_ powerful stuff.

…

Malaysia had finally managed to fall asleep, only to be disturbed by the sound of his phone ringing. He jumped awake, glancing towards the window before he answered the phone.

"It's too early," he whined. "What could be so important?"

"We have new information on Requiem," the leader said.

"Couldn't it wait?"

"Philippines is one of them."

Malaysia was silent for a moment.

"She didn't come with us," he said. "Are you sure about this?"

"Toris and Olivier managed to get Texas to share her experience under Mexico's rule," the leader said. "And now Russia knows about Requiem as well."

"But… Not about us?"

"Matthew managed to place attention on Mexico, and suggested that if anyone knew the truth about Mexico, then it would be Texas. We just didn't prepare ourselves for the horrors of this truth."

"Is it that bad?"

"Asides from the cannibalism… They've been performing experiments on regions."

Malaysia was suddenly wide awake.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Do you remember how Germany was killed by a single gunshot?" the leader asked. "I think we now know how they knew that it could work. Not only did they perform the experiments on their own regions, but they've also been capturing the regions of other nations."

Malaysia couldn't speak. He recalled how his three federal territories had disappeared about a year ago. And a few months ago, five of his states disappeared as well.

"Akmal?" the leader said. "Are you okay?"

"Kuala Lumpur," Malaysia said, "Labuan, Putrajaya, Malacca, Penang, Sabah, Sarawak and Kedah Darul Aman."

The leader swore, and Malaysia knew that he understood what he was trying to say.

"Can you sense if they're still alive?" the leader asked.

"No," Malaysia said. "If I _could_ , I would have been able to find them by now."

"We'll need to learn more about this as soon as possible. In the meantime, you should investigate Philippines."

"I think that _everyone_ should investigate their neighbours. If they took the regions of other nations, then they would target their neighbours, or anyone else they're close to. Or pretended to be close to. And…"

Malaysia paused, remembering something that had happened quite recently at the meeting. Mexico wanting to discuss something with Philippines. And before that…

"Is something wrong?" the leader asked.

"Singapore," Malaysia said. "Philippines is like a less extreme version of Belarus towards Russia. She likes to cling to her. A lot like how Italy used to cling to Germany."

"But Italy is a member of Requiem as well. And Germany's dead. You think that something might happen to Singapore?"

"I'm sure of it."

"Then I suggest you go to Singapore tomorrow. Get her under your protection, whatever it takes."

"Alright. There's just something else we need to do tomorrow, but I promise, we'll go as soon as possible."

"Alright. But if Singapore _isn't_ in danger… There's a possibility that she might be a member of Requiem as well."

"I'll keep that in mind."

Malaysia hung up the call, noting the time. He was worried about his missing states. And he knew that there was no way that he would be falling asleep now.


	15. Chapter 14

**Thanks to AquaEclipse and Elizabeth for reviewing.**

 **As for whether or not I'll do the same thing as I did for Ve, We Totally Fooled You regarding the allegiance guide… Sorry. I want to keep this thing as spoiler-free as possible. I didn't even list the main characters. If you want to use your own way to keep track of who is part of which group, go for it, as long as it wouldn't spoil anything for anyone else.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 14**

When Black entered the kitchen, he noticed both White and Brazil already sitting at the counter, both of them looking exhausted. He paused for a moment, before he went to turn on the coffee filter.

"What's up with you?" he asked.

"We didn't get enough sleep," White said.

"I don't want to know the details."

"It's not what you're thinking," Brazil said. "And Anika's already complained about you and Imane."

Black rolled his eyes, before turning to them.

"Alright then, humour me," he said. "Why didn't you get enough sleep?"

"First, a nightmare about Tupi," Brazil said.

Black winced in sympathy. He knew how painful it was for Brazil. The fact that Tupi was meant to be Brazil's family made the pain of almost being killed by him even worse.

"Second," White continued, "we received an update about Requiem."

Black straightened. For all intents and purposes, White was the leader of the Africans and Brazil was the leader of the Americans, North and South. It would make sense for the two of them to receive the update. And the fact that it arrived during the night only made the gravity of the situation crystal clear. Whatever the update was, it was serious.

"What's up?" Black asked.

"You know how we've wondered about the regions?" White asked. "We don't have to wonder anymore."

Black leaned against the counter. He and White had wondered for a long time why they didn't have regions, even if their country was divided into provinces. Then again, they went from having four provinces to nine without gaining land, so it wasn't _too_ surprising. Perhaps the system was just too confused to figure out what to do. There was a micronation, though. And the only province that actually manifested…

"What did they do to them?" Black asked.

White shook her head.

"We'll tell you when everyone's here," she said. "We don't want to repeat this if we can avoid it."

Before Black could say anything, Namibia entered the kitchen. Their neighbours were also with them, since it would save so much trouble just to come together. Namibia paused when she saw them, looking around.

"Since when are _you_ morning people?" she asked.

"We're not," White and Brazil said simultaneously.

Namibia arched an eyebrow, before glancing towards Black.

"Insomnia," he explained.

She nodded her head in understanding, before glancing around.

"Who's going to start breakfast?" she asked.

"Daar's beskuit," White said. "Corn Flakes, Rice Crispies…"

"So… we're on our own?"

"Looks like it," Black said. "Unless you're willing to go all out?"

Namibia pursed her lips.

"No thanks," she said, before going to get some rusks.

Black poured some coffee for himself, before preparing a cup for Brazil and White as well. And he kept his eyes on Namibia.

While Namibia had been living with them, she was considered a province. And she was immensely annoyed by how controlling White could be. But that was the only complaint. They always made it a point to treat the ones under their control with respect, knowing that the tables could turn at any moment. The worst they've ever done was be overprotective.

Especially when it came to regions. They were worried that Namibia would follow the other missing regions. She probably didn't realise exactly how happy Black and White were when Namibia became an independent nation.

And then there was Lesotho.

There have been a few times when Lesotho suggested that he become a province of South Africa. He had a few compelling arguments, the most frequent one being the fact that he was an enclave, and it didn't make sense to only be surrounded by one country. They had casually ignored him every time, but it was for his own sake. Again, they feared the fate of the regions.

A fate which White and Brazil now knew. And by the expressions on their faces, it was truly serious. That didn't help to ease the worry.

…

Western Sahara made her way to the kitchen, pausing when she saw her guest resting her head on the kitchen table. When Morocco had asked a request of her, she was a little annoyed, and more so when she realised that it was essentially babysitting.

However, the events of a few days ago made her realise that the concern was justified.

Sahara placed a bottle of pills and a glass of water in front of the micronation, who wearily lifted her head.

"Morning," Sahara greeted. "Have you eaten?"

Hout Bay shook her head, before pushing the bottle away.

"It's not necessary anymore," she said weakly.

Sahara scoffed, rolling her eyes. Hout Bay was a micronation, but also a suburb in Cape Town. And when the entire city was attacked, Hout Bay felt its effects. Sahara had been feeding her painkillers for the last few days, and this was probably the first time Hout Bay seemed lucid. Then again, she didn't seem to be in particular pain, which meant that the worst was over.

And Sahara had something she wanted to discuss.

"So, how much do you remember of the last few days?" she asked.

"Pain," Hout Bay said simply. "What did you expect?"

"You don't remember saying anything to me?"

Hout Bay shook her head, frowning.

"Should I?" she asked.

"Well, you _were_ rather high," Sahara said. "High as a kite."

Hout Bay groaned.

"What did I say?" she asked worriedly.

"Something about gladiators, and that you don't want me to die," Sahara said. "Care to share?"

Hout Bay was still for a moment, probably trying to think, before she groaned, facepalming.

"Christy Skoglund," she said.

"Alright," Sahara said. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"She was part of the Gladiators. Her gladiator name was Sahara."

Western Sahara couldn't help but chuckle at that, but Hout Bay didn't seem amused.

"During the Gladiators' run, she died of an aneurysm," she continued.

Sahara stopped laughing, looking sober.

"Oh," she said. "That explains the 'don't die' part."

Hout Bay nodded.

"I _must_ have been high if I brought _that_ up," she said.

Sahara shrugged, grinning.

"I'll call Imane later," she said. "And then she can tell Themba and Anika that you're doing better."

"Have you been making these reports every day?" Hout Bay asked.

"Most of them were 'she's still high'."

Hout Bay groaned, pushing the bottle farther away.

…

Malaysia, Indonesia, East Timor and Brunei were having a late breakfast. Brunei had noticed that Malaysia and Indonesia especially seemed tired, and he wondered if they had trouble sleeping. If they did, he couldn't blame them. He figured that they were just as worried about everything happening as _he_ was.

"So, are we doing anything today?" Brunei asked innocently. "I mean, do you have any plans?"

"I have something in mind," Malaysia said. "After breakfast."

Brunei wanted to ask what Malaysia had in mind, but bit his tongue. Malaysia seemed tense, and he appeared to be distracted. Indonesia and Timor exchanged a look, but said nothing about this. He didn't know if they knew what was going on with Malaysia, or if they were just concerned, like he was.

"Sorry," Malaysia said, pushing his plate away. "I need to make a phone call."

Brunei watched as Malaysia disappeared, before turning to the other two.

"Is there anything else bothering him?" Brunei asked.

"Not that I know of," Timor said, before glancing towards Indonesia.

"I know that he had trouble sleeping last night," Indonesia said. "He seemed better last night. I wonder if something else happened."

"Why were _you_ up?" Timor asked.

"I went for a glass of water. Unlike _some_ people, I can't sleep the night through."

Timor shrugged, and Brunei couldn't help but smile. The brothers were actually quite interesting.

They had finished their breakfast by the time Malaysia returned, looking just a little better. Brunei also noticed that he had a piece of paper in his hand.

"Everything alright?" Brunei asked.

"Sure," Malaysia said. "Everything's fine."

"What's that you have there?"

"A contract."

Brunei was confused, and Malaysia placed the contract in front of him. As Brunei scanned through it, he gasped, his eyes finding Malaysia immediately.

"What's the meaning of this?" he asked.

"We're part of an organisation that's going to change the world," Malaysia said. "Consider this a peaceful takeover."

"A takeover?! Wait, 'we'?"

"That's right," Indonesia said, shocking Brunei. "Make this easy for yourself and just sign."

Brunei shook his head, and he tried to stand, but Timor managed to push him down again. His gaze flitted wildly between them.

"It was you," he said. "You're the ones that killed Japan and…"

"No," Malaysia cut him off. "There's another organisation that killed them. Requiem. We're Alvora."

"Why should I believe you?!"

"Believe us or not," Indonesia said, "the fact of the matter is, you're becoming our territory. We're giving you the choice to come peacefully. We _can_ and _will_ use force if necessary."

Brunei shook his head.

"Look," Timor said, "we're not lying about there being another group. And _they_ use lethal force. If you become part of our territory, we promise to keep you safe from them."

"Why should I believe you?" Brunei asked. "Why should I _trust_ you?"

The other three exchanged looks. Brunei didn't want to sign. He felt betrayed. But he didn't know if they were serious, and if they were willing to take things farther.

"If you _don't_ sign," Malaysia said, "we wouldn't know if you're a member of Requiem or not."

"This is insane," Brunei said.

"How about this?" Timor said. "You don't _have_ to sign, but we confirm that you're not one of our enemies. And once you realise that we were telling the truth, _then_ you could sign."

Brunei was silent for a moment.

"How do you plan to 'confirm' that?" he asked.

"…This might hurt a bit," Timor said, smiling apologetically.

Before Brunei could react, Timor grabbed his wrist. He gasped when he felt something sting his finger, and Timor pressed the injured finger towards the paper. He released Brunei's wrist, revealing that a small drop of blood was on the contract.

"Vlad explained it to me," Timor explained. "If a nation is Requiem, they are physically repulsed by the thought of signing. And since some magical contracts use blood instead of ink… Basically, if even a drop of his blood appeared on the paper and he's a member of Requiem, then it would be painful for him and make him physically sick. And the paper would react as well."

When they realised that nothing was happening, they shrugged.

"That's it?" Brunei asked.

"Well, your blood _does_ ensure that you can't tell anyone about what you know about us," Timor said. "You're no threat to us now."

"So… Are you going to let me go?"

"Not for the time being," Malaysia said. "We're going to Singapore."

"Huh? Why?"

The other two seemed equally surprised, and Malaysia sighed.

"We received new information last night," Malaysia explained. "Actually, _very_ early this morning. Philippines has been identified as a member of Requiem."

"And you think that Singapore might be in danger," Indonesia said.

"That's ridiculous," Brunei scoffed. "Philippines absolutely _adores_ Singapore. It's almost creepy. There's no way that she would hurt Singapore."

"There was also no way that Italy would be able to hurt a fly," Malaysia said. "But he's a member of Requiem too."

"…If there _is_ another group, how do I know that _you're_ not the evil ones?"

"We _could_ have _forced_ you to sign it, instead of compromising," Timor said casually, not even looking in Brunei's direction. "We also could have skipped the contract entirely and had a traditional, forceful takeover. We could lock you up somewhere. Do you want me to continue?"

"I get it," Brunei snapped. "You could have used force. But, what's the deal with the contract?"

"It's basic annexation," Indonesia explained, "along with an extra clause that prevents you from telling anyone about it. The Africans signed the contracts too."

"The Africans?"

"They were trying to smoke out a few of our enemies," Malaysia said. "And they succeeded. Come on. The sooner we leave for Singapore, the better."

"I still don't believe that Tala would be able to hurt Aminah," Brunei said.

"That's not even the worst part," Malaysia said. "You have no idea how dangerous Requiem is. By the way, any luck with your districts?"

"No," Brunei said suspiciously. "What do you know about them?"

Brunei had noticed a few month ago that his districts had all disappeared. He had confided in Malaysia, who explained that a few of his states were missing as well.

"I think I know what happened to them," Malaysia sighed. "But it's _not_ good news."

"What do you know?" Brunei demanded, fear and anger lacing his voice.

"Germany was killed by a single bullet. In order to develop a weapon that can kill nations… Experiments would have to be made."

Brunei's eyes widened, and Timor and Indonesia looked surprised as well. No, not just surprised. _Horrified_.

"You… you're lying," Brunei said.

"How do you know that?" Indonesia asked.

"Olivier managed to hear a testimony from Texas," Malaysia said. "Since she's a former state of Mexico…"

"Mexico?" Brunei repeated. "She's involved too?"

"Not only is she involved," Timor said, a look of distaste on his face, "but she also attacked one of our own. And as far as we know, she's one of the more dangerous members."

"Definitely one of the more mentally unstable," Indonesia said.

"What do you mean?" Brunei asked.

"She's a cannibal," Malaysia said.

Brunei's eyes widened. It all sounded too unreal. Especially the part about Mexico being a cannibal. It sounded a lot like the propaganda that the Europeans had spread during the Age of Discovery. 'Savages' who ate the flesh of their fellow man. There were a few cases where they were correct, but most of the time they were just lying. And hearing his friends – no, the nations he _thought_ were his friends – use those same accusations disgusted him. Did they really think that he would believe such blatant lies?

But there _was_ something that niggled at the back of his mind. He remembered seeing Philippines going off with Mexico after the meeting. This wouldn't have been remarkable, except for the fact that Philippines didn't pout or argue or _anything_ when someone tried to get her away from Singapore. That _was_ strange.

He jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder, and he turned to see Timor standing there.

"I know you don't believe us," he said, "but we're really looking out for you. We've only heard of them about a week ago, so we're also still learning about them. But trust me, the things we _did_ learn are disturbing. And we can't risk you going off on your own and learning about their atrocities the hard way. Believe it or not, we care about you, and we don't want to see you get hurt."

Brunei sighed.

"I suppose… I could see if I can learn the truth for myself," Brunei said. "I still don't trust you."

"Fair enough," Malaysia said. "But we're not going to let you go blindly. We don't know who else is an enemy."

…

"Do you really think she'll be interested?" Peru asked.

Egypt shrugged, looking towards his lover.

"On some level, she _should_ be interested enough to hear what we have to say," Egypt said. "Whether or not we get her to join us willingly is another matter. But it wouldn't matter either way."

"I guess you're right," Peru said. "Whether or not she wants to, she _will_ join us."

Egypt smirked. He could tell that the younger nation was excited about the prospect of forcing someone to do _anything_ for them. And although he had hoped to recruit Israel, the person they were recruiting now would be excellent in dealing with Israel.

However, if she proved to be a member of Alvora as well, then they could implement another plan.

Egypt came to a stop, staring at the house of their target. He could feel Peru's excitement, and a smile curled on his lips. No matter what happened, this would be fun for the South American.

The two exchanged a quick glance, before going up to the front door.

…

Somalia and Ethiopia looked up when the third member of their little group entered the room, a smirk on her face.

"Good news," she said, "I managed to locate our target. And it looks like our suspicions were correct. He is with allies, though I'm not sure if you could call that their base of operations. _A_ base, surely, but not _the_ base."

"It doesn't matter," Ethiopia said. "As long as we can cause some damage. So, where _is_ this base?"

She smirked.

"South Africa," she said.

The other two smirked as well.

"Round two, it seems," Somalia said.

…

Hungary went to the music room, where she could hear the sounds of the piano playing. It was still early, so hearing Austria already on the piano made her bite her lip. She didn't even have to listen to the song to know that he was on edge.

She stood at the doorway as she listened to him play. Only when the last note died in an echo did she approach him. He sighed before turning to her.

"Are you okay?" Hungary asked.

He shook his head.

"Nein," he said. "I found out that someone I consider a little brother is dead. Even though I was kicked out… It still doesn't change…"

Hungary gave him a soft smile.

"It's alright," she said. "Things will get better. So, do you take requests?"

He poised his hands on the piano in answer.

"What did you have in mind?" he asked.

"A requiem," she said.

He nodded, before he started to play. It was a test to see if Austria was involved with the other organisation. But the lack of response at the word 'requiem' told her that he wasn't. Austria wasn't involved at all.

 **Hout Bay appears on the list of micronations, and is a suburb of Cape Town. I realised that the lack of concern about her had to be explained, so she had been relocated to Western Sahara before the meeting, just in case. But since her territory would have been affected by the bombings, she would have been in a lot of pain, so Sahara has been feeding her painkillers.**

 **And the Gladiator thing… I was thinking about how I would bring in Sahara and Hout Bay when I was trying to get to sleep, and my mind remembered that there was a Gladiator by the name of Sahara, and out of frustration I looked up information on the Gladiators. I remembered that there was a gladiator that died during the show's run, but I forgot that it was Sahara. Considering the fact that I watched it when I was late preschool/early primary school, it's understandable that things should slip my mind. I do remember a few of their names, though. I also learned that the Gladiators was an international thing, with the South African Gladiators being MTN Gladiators (MTN being a cell phone company). I also went a bit on a nostalgia trip when I saw that they had an episode on YouTube, specifically where they collaborated with the UK Gladiators.**


	16. Chapter 15

**Thanks to TooShyToReview, AquaEclipse and Eternal Nexus Warrior for reviewing.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 15**

Burkina Faso groaned as she entered her office. She had been told to sever all ties outside their new circle. Thankfully, it had to be done methodically.

The first nations they had to sever ties with were the nations from the other organisation. Requiem, apparently. It was understandable, though, and she had no problem with it. She saw what they were capable of, and wanted nothing to do with them.

She went through a list of nations that she had formal relations with, wincing with every name that came up. Libya, Mexico and South Korea all had to go. She was actually thankful that it wasn't that many that she had to cut ties with. Although, South Korea was only based on a suspicion. She wasn't entirely sure if she _should_ sever ties with him.

Nevertheless, she went to work. Even though there were only three of them, she had a lot of work to do.

…

Palestine opened the door, surprised to see Egypt on the other side and… was that Peru?

"Hello, Enaya," Egypt greeted. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

"N-no," she said. "Um, come in."

She allowed them to enter, giving Peru a curious look. She led them towards the living room, and they graciously sat down.

"Would you like anything?" she asked. "Something to eat? To drink?"

"If you have anything light to eat, I wouldn't complain," Egypt said. "We neglected breakfast, unfortunately. But if not, some juice would be nice."

"Juice would be great for me too," Peru said.

Palestine nodded, before going to the kitchen. She had some breadsticks and falafel, and along with some juice, she took them out to her unexpected guests. Once they saw her arriving with the tray laden with food, they smiled.

"Gracias," Peru said grabbing a plate and placing a falafel on it.

She gave him a small smile, before turning towards Egypt.

"So, what's up?" she asked, glancing towards Peru, silently asking what he was doing there.

Egypt took a bite of a breadstick, and she waited impatiently for him. Once he finished, he smirked.

"We're here to recruit you," he said.

"What?" she asked.

"The two of us are partners in a rising empire. Instead of one nation being in control, several will be. And we want _you_ to be one of our partners. One of our allies."

"It's better than being the _subject_ of an empire," Peru said, after swallowing.

Palestine was silent for a moment.

"But… why me?" she asked.

"I like you," Egypt said. "You're compassionate, and passionate. And I'm sure you'd be interested in hearing what we have to offer."

"More land," Peru said. "In fact, you can have your pick. Doesn't even have to be in this area. If the heat gets to be too much, we can offer you a piece of Russia. Well?"

"And that's _still_ not the best part."

Palestine hesitated, before turning to Egypt.

"What's the best part?" she asked.

"There's another group," he said. "They're a threat, and we're planning to eliminate them. Israel is one of them."

At the mention of Israel, Palestine's face darkened. He was always polite to her, but she found it to be more patronising than anything. And he would often 'apologise' for the conflicts between their people. But if he was really sorry about it, then he would have done something to prevent it.

Egypt and Peru continued to watch her while they ate their breakfast. After a while she raised her head.

"I'll be treated as a partner, right?" she asked.

"That's right," Egypt said. "You won't be an underling or anything. And if there's anything you're uncomfortable with, then you wouldn't have to do it."

"All we ask for is your help in destroying Israel and his allies," Peru said. "And your discretion, of course. We don't want anyone else to learn about us, after all. They could jeopardise everything."

"…Tell me something," Palestine said. "Germany, England and Japan… Are _you_ the ones responsible, or the others?"

The two straightened slightly, and she could see that they were raising their guards.

"That was us," Peru said.

She nodded her head. Using lethal force against Israel… She wouldn't mind it. And if there were other nations helping Israel in secret…

"I'm in," she said at last. "As long as I can destroy Israel."

They seemed surprised by her acceptance, but grinned nonetheless.

"Excellent," Egypt said. "Welcome aboard."

"And by the way," Peru said, "this is _amazing_. You're a great cook."

She giggled at that.

"So, why exactly did _you_ accompany Gupta?" Palestine asked.

"We're together," Peru said. "Romantically."

It was as though her mind short-circuited for a brief moment, trying to process the information that it had just received.

"WHAT?!"

…

"Alright, so what's going on?" Botswana asked.

"And why do you want _us_ here?" Zimbabwe asked.

They had all gathered in a conference room, with the South Africans' neighbours being surprised by the fact that there _was_ a conference room in the building.

"We received new information on Requiem last night," White said. "This information is quite… disturbing, to say the least."

"More disturbing than there being cannibals?" Namibia asked.

"I'm sure you've heard of the region dilemma," Brazil said. "States, provinces, districts… Whatever you want to call them."

"I remember," Namibia groaned. "White would constantly remind me of it when I was living with her."

"And for good reason," White said. "Requiem is responsible for them being missing. They've been performing experiments on the regions. And once they've finished with their own, they went to the regions of other nations."

"What?!" Ghana exclaimed. "This… This can't be real. I mean… they couldn't be…"

"How do you know this?" Namibia asked.

"One of our members managed to get a testimony from Texas, who was once Mexican territory," White said. "And Russia also knows about Requiem now."

"Russia?!" Botswana repeated. "He… He's not one of you? Or… one of _them_?"

"Apparently not," Brazil said. "He knows about Requiem, but not about us. And it's only a matter of time before other nations find out."

"And if they _do_ find out about _us_ ," Morocco said, "then let's hope they've heard of more of Requiem's atrocities. And they better realise that we're trying to stop them."

"Why don't you launch an offensive strike?" Zimbabwe demanded. "I mean… you have the resources, don't you?"

"And _they_ do as well," White said. "I'm not going to risk anyone unless we're absolutely certain that we can win. We've seen what they're capable of when they're using underhanded tactics."

"Not to mention the fact that we need to know their exact location to attack them personally," Angola said. "Remember, they mentioned that they're like us. Which means that any attacks made to their land won't affect them. Unfortunately, the same can't be said for regions."

"What do you mean?" Swaziland asked.

"Regions and micronations, even when going through the necessary steps like the rest of us, are unable to block out any damage done to their territories," Mozambique explained. "By the way, how's Chané?"

"Salma said that she's trying to get off the painkillers," Morocco said. "So it looks like it's going better."

"That's good to hear," Mozambique said, smiling in relief.

"So, what are you going to do now?" Zimbabwe asked.

"We're _all_ going to cut the unwanted ties," Black said. "Unless they're one of our members or territories, they have to go. First, I suggest going for the confirmed Requiem nations. The sooner we break the influence of their group on your countries, the better."

"That would be easier to do in our own countries," Namibia said.

"You _do_ know that you can leave anytime you want to, right?" North Korea asked. "We're not keeping you prisoner."

Namibia winced, and Botswana and Zimbabwe exchanged looks. Swaziland sank down in his seat.

"Actually, I prefer to stay _here_ ," Swaziland said. "Um, just in case, you know?"

"Yeah," Zimbabwe said. "I prefer to stay here too."

White rolled her eyes, while Namibia facepalmed.

"Do what you want," White said. "Themba, what are you going to do?"

"I'll handle Nkau's affairs," Black said. "Should make it easier."

Lesotho smiled sheepishly, and White nodded.

"I think we're done here," White said. "If you're going back to your homes, then be careful. We don't know if Requiem would attack you."

"They already attacked Nkau," Zimbabwe said, glancing towards Lesotho. "I say there's a good chance that they _would_ attack us."

…

Saint Kitts awoke with a start. He could still see the nightmare playing through his mind. His sister…

He glanced towards Nevis, sleeping peacefully, and he sighed in relief. The Caribbean nations were all located in Jamaica's living room, with the furniture pushed aside to give them a place to sleep, and all the mattresses, cushions and blankets gathered to make one large bed for all of them.

He and Nevis were sleeping on the same mattress, and they were actually sharing it with Trinidad and Tobago. One pair of siblings had their heads on the one end of the mattress while the other pair had their heads on the other end.

He sighed as he calmed down from his nightmare, only to grow aware that he had a new emergency. He realised that he needed to go to the bathroom.

He looked over the room and bit back a groan. He would have to manoeuvre around everyone. Thankfully, the vast majority of them were heavy sleepers.

As carefully as he could, he stood up. He started tiptoeing his way out of the room, and once he reached the door he breathed a sigh of relief, before calmly heading towards the bathroom.

He was almost there when he became aware of a strange sound. He frowned, before he crept closer towards the room where the sound was coming from. The door was slightly ajar, and he peered through the crack.

Someone was sitting on the floor, bowed over what appeared to be dolls made from different materials. There appeared to be papers stuck to the dolls, but he couldn't make out anything else about the dolls.

Saint Kitts decided to focus on the person next to the dolls. Once he noticed who it was, his mind froze.

It was Haiti. And once he realised that, pieces started coming together. He knew that Haiti was a practitioner of Voodoo, and seeing those dolls made him grow fearful.

He didn't know that much about Voodoo, just that it invoked darkness. If Haiti was using dark spirits…

He felt chills run down his spine when he heard Haiti start to mutter something. Words that he couldn't understand. This only filled him with even more fear.

Saint Kitts knew that he couldn't barge in. He couldn't confront Haiti – not when he was busy with devil worship. And he didn't know if he should tell anyone else about what Haiti was doing.

Before he could make a decision, he felt a hand placed on his mouth, muffling his startled scream.

"What are you doing?" Jamaica whispered.

Saint Kitts relaxed when he heard the other, and he turned towards the other.

"H-Haiti…" he whispered. "I… I think he's doing voodoo or something."

Jamaica frowned, before peering through the crack as well. He pulled back after a while.

"It sounds like he's praying or something," Jamaica said. "Well, it _is_ his religion."

"But…"

"We'll keep an eye on him, just in case. Anyway, why aren't you sleeping?"

At the reminder, Saint Kitts's bladder gave him a sharp stab, and he pointed in the direction of the bathroom.

"Then hurry," Jamaica said, an amused smile on his face.

Saint Kitts could feel his cheeks redden as he made his way towards the bathroom. When he came out again, he saw that the room in which Haiti was in had the door completely closed now, and he wondered if it was Jamaica or Haiti who closed it.

…

Singapore groaned as she woke up. Her head was killing her. She suspected that it might still be jetlag.

However, once she opened her eyes, it became another matter.

She wasn't in her own room. That was the first thing she realised. Next, she didn't recognise the room _at all_. She noticed that the walls were painted white, but the comforter and carpet were red. Her favourite colours. The colours of her flag.

She was also not wearing the clothes that she had gone to sleep in. In that instant, she felt violated. She was in an unknown location, wearing different clothes. Her fear was matched only by her indignation.

And to make matters worse, she could sense that she wasn't in her own country. This, more than anything, confirmed her suspicions: she had been kidnapped.

She looked up when the door was opened, and she quickly scrambled into a sitting position. She couldn't help the wave of dizziness, which only fuelled her anger.

But it was _nothing_ compared to the fuel she received when she saw who was entering the room.

"Oh, you're awake," Philippines said. "Good. I was starting to worry. Would you like some breakfast?"

"What I would _like_ is for you to explain what the hell is going on," Singapore hissed.

"Silly. You're in our home."

At the word 'our', Singapore felt a new wave of anger.

"You and I are _nothing_ ," Singapore hissed. "Get that through your thick skull. I want _nothing_ to do with you. Especially romantically."

Philippines's expression fell, and Singapore was surprised to see the cold look on her face.

"I'd be careful what you say, if I were you," Philippines said. "My love for you is the _only_ thing protecting you."

"What… what do you mean?" Singapore asked.

Philippines's lips curled into a cruel smirk.

"Would you like to know what happened to Japan?" Philippines asked.

Singapore's eyes widened in realisation.

"You… You did that…" she muttered.

"Well, one of my allies," Philippines said. "South Korea. We're also the ones responsible for killing Germany and England. Oh, and I guess no one mentioned the fact that America's dead too. And we bombed Cape Town, Luanda, Rabat, Pyongyang and Maseru."

Singapore shook her head in disbelief. She recognised a few of the things Philippines said, but some of them… Hearing America was dead as well. And… all those other bombings…

"Why didn't we hear about any of the other bombings?" Singapore asked.

"Our alliance isn't the only one operating in the shadows," Philippines said. "We have a rival. With the exception of Lesotho, the others are members. We just attacked Lesotho to piss off the South Africas. I have to say, they can hold their pose very well."

"And… what are you going to do to me?"

"Don't worry. Just cooperate, and no harm will come to you. But if you make me have to punish you… You don't want me to punish you."

Philippines stalked closer towards Singapore, who shrank back at the other's approach. When Philippines was at the bed, Singapore launched herself from the other end and tried to escape to the door.

Only to fall on the floor. She turned back and gasped when she realised that there was a cuff around her ankle, and that it was chained to the bed. The cuff was soft, so she didn't feel it, but now that she was aware of it, she _truly_ started to feel panic.

Philippines calmly approached her, and Singapore tried to scramble to her feet. She didn't want to feel more vulnerable than she already was. Just as she managed to get on her feet and was about to properly stand, Philippines kicked her down, and Singapore tried to scramble up again, only to feel a weight on her lower back. Philippines was straddling her.

"The chain's long enough for you to walk around the room," Philippines said. "And there are enough things in here to keep you occupied. If you want to go to the bathroom, then there's a bell that you can ring."

As she was speaking, she kept stroking Singapore's hair. The normally dignified nation was trembling in fear, tears of terror streaming down her face. And the fact that Philippines was messing with her hair only made her feel more vulnerable. The only time she released it from its bun was when she was sleeping. And now that she thought about it, the last memory before she woke up was going to sleep. In _her_ bed. Which meant that Philippines had grabbed her when she was sleeping. When she _should_ have felt safe.

And this mockery of kindness and compassion… it was destroying Singapore.

And then Philippines stopped stroking, resting her hand on Singapore's head. She felt even more pinned than before.

"I also need to make it clear that I won't be happy if you try to run away again," Philippines said. "That calls for punishment. And I've been curious…"

Singapore was confused, but she felt Philippines lean closer, using her other hand to pin her wrist to the ground. Singapore tried to struggle, but Philippines was stronger than she'd thought. A small cry of horror escaped her throat when she felt Philippines nuzzling her neck.

And then pain exploded through her shoulder.

She screamed as she felt Philippines's teeth sink into her flesh. This wasn't a simple bite. It was deep. And then the teeth closed, and Singapore screamed again when Philippines pulled. It was with a sense of horror that she realised that Philippines was tearing the flesh away.

Singapore could do nothing but claw at the floor with her free hand. Eventually, Philippines released her, but not without tearing a chunk of flesh away. She released Singapore's head and wrist, and the latter turned to look over her shoulder. She saw Philippines chew something, blood surrounding her mouth, before swallowing.

"You taste better than I imagined," Philippines said, and it sounded like a lustful moan. "I can't wait to taste more of you."

She grabbed the strap to the negligee that Singapore had been forced in, and the other screamed and thrashed.

"No!" she shouted. "Please, don't!"

Philippines came to a stop.

"Are you going to behave?" she asked.

Singapore nodded her head, closing her eyes as tears poured from them. To her relief, Philippines stood up.

"Good," Philippines said. "I'll bring you breakfast soon. We're going to have so much fun together."

Singapore really doubted that.


	17. Chapter 16

**Thanks to notjealoushere and AquaEclipse for reviewing. 50 reviews. Thanks!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 16**

East Timor looked up at the sky as soon as they set foot outside Singapore's airport. The sky was overcast, and it didn't bode well. There was something unnatural about the clouds.

"Let's get going," Malaysia said.

It was easy to rent a car in order to take them to Singapore's house. It wasn't the first time they'd done it, after all. In fact, the staff at the car rentals actually seemed to know Malaysia by (human) name. He wondered how often Malaysia actually came to Singapore.

And he knew that he wouldn't say anything about it to Sierra Leone.

To an outsider, the relationships would most likely be odd. But in Alvora, it actually made sense. They spent a lot of time together – more than people realised. And they kept this great secret. They were also paranoid that anyone who found out would try to stop them. And so, they clung to those they knew they could trust. And some grew closer than others.

There was also the fact that many of them grew up together. Malaysia, Indonesia and East Timor had been young when they were each found by Portugal and brought into the fold. They were raised on Alvora's beliefs. And as history played out and they saw what they were fighting against, their resolve only grew.

They had spent the flight to Singapore explaining to Brunei what it was they were hoping to achieve. Once they properly explained themselves, Brunei had to admit that it wasn't as bad as he had thought that it would be. He still didn't think that it was possible, but he accepted that they had a good motive.

"Do you think it's going to rain?" Indonesia asked, looking out the window.

"I hope not," Malaysia said. "Those aren't ordinary rainclouds."

"What do you mean?" Brunei asked.

"The clouds are _only_ in Singapore."

It took a moment for them to understand what Malaysia was saying.

"Nothing over the border?" Timor asked.

"Nothing," Malaysia confirmed.

"I don't see what the big deal is," Brunei said. "I mean… it's not too strange…"

"If a nation is under an extreme amount of stress, he or she can alter the weather in their country," Indonesia explained. "And I'm not talking about work-related stress, or even an invasion. Something like this only happens if the nations themselves are threatened."

"How do you know this?" Brunei asked.

"…Brazil," Timor said. "When he was a child, one of the native tribes tried to… tried to kill him. The weather alerted Portugal of the fact that Brazil was in danger, and he managed to track him down before the worst could happen."

"There are other incidents too," Indonesia said. "But… Yeah. We've seen a few times when the weather reflected that the nation was in distress."

Brunei's eyes widened, and he looked at the clouds.

"If it rains…" Brunei started.

"At the moment, Singapore is scared," Malaysia said. "If it starts to rain, then she's hurt. And the intensity of the coming storm will help us see how scared and hurt she is."

"And… what if she's dead?"

"We would know that too," Timor said.

"For starters, we wouldn't be able to drive so easily," Malaysia said. "There would be a lot of accidents. Like in Japan."

They were silent for a few more minutes, before they finally arrived at Singapore's house. Malaysia was the first to make his way to the front door, and he frowned.

"Unlocked," he said, before opening the door.

"Why would the door be unlocked?" Brunei asked.

"Because either Singapore isn't here anymore, or she's in there with someone that she shouldn't be with," Indonesia said.

"Neither possibility sounds good," Timor said.

Malaysia walked in, before cocking his head to the side.

"The alarm was deactivated," he said.

"So… you think Singapore was on her way somewhere?" Brunei asked.

Malaysia didn't answer, but instead set off further into the house. The others had no choice but to follow him. Finally, Malaysia came to a stop, and they saw that it was Singapore's bedroom.

"She wouldn't leave the bed like that," Indonesia mused.

"Um… guys?" Brunei said. "Is that… blood?"

Malaysia walked in, going towards the bed. The pillow was covered in blood, and the surroundings had a few splatters as well.

"A headshot," Malaysia said, placing his hand on the pillow. "It's had time to dry. This happened a few hours ago."

"Considering the fact that Singapore's citizens aren't dropping like flies…" Indonesia said.

"She's still alive," Timor said. "But… why shoot her?"

"The intention wasn't to kill her," Malaysia said. "But to capture her. Sedatives don't work as well on nations as they do on humans, so to have the same effect, the best way is to temporarily killed her. A headshot would last a few hours. No more than eight. Enough time to get her to another country. Especially in this area."

"Philippines," Brunei muttered. "But… she wouldn't hurt…"

"We don't know if even an ounce of her affection for Aminah was genuine," Timor said. "For all we know, she could have ulterior motives."

"But this makes six nations unaccounted for," Indonesia said.

"Six?" Brunei repeated.

"Five of the Africans were captured by Requiem," Timor explained. "We have no idea where they are, or what's happening to them. We've been keeping an eye on the weather. Rainstorms in Algeria aren't a good sign, wouldn't you say?"

Brunei shuddered, before he shook his head.

"I guess you're right," he said. "But, to say that she _never_ gets rain…"

"It's been raining nonstop for days," Indonesia said. "And most of it is focused on Algiers. That's not a coincidence."

"The radius of the abnormal weather depends on the size of the country," Malaysia explained. "Singapore is a city-state, which means that it's not too unusual for her entire country to be affected by rain. In my case, it would mostly be focused on Kuala Lumpur, with the rest of the peninsula…"

He cut himself off, and it took Timor a moment to realise what it was. He turned to the window.

"It's raining," he whispered.

The other two grew aware of the rain as well, and turned their attentions to the window.

"What do we do _now_?" Indonesia asked.

"We can assume that Philippines took Singapore and is hurting her," Malaysia said. "Our best hope is to find and rescue Singapore. But… We don't want to go in unprepared. We could end up committing suicide like that.

"But we also can't leave Aminah like that," Timor said. "Who knows what Philippines is doing to her."

"I think we're going to need some magical help," Indonesia said. "At least to know what we're up against."

"Good idea," Malaysia said. "I'll call Vlad. In the meantime, see if you can find anything suspicious."

…

"You don't look very good," France said, regarding the two in the backseat through the front mirror.

Portugal and Prussia narrowed their eyes as they glared at France.

"We couldn't sleep," Portugal said. "We don't exactly have a relationship that makes sharing a bed easier."

France chuckled, and Spain smirked. Since Spain was driving, he couldn't turn back to look at his brother, but he could imagine the look on his face.

"But this isn't the first time in the last few days that you two shared a bed," Prussia said. "So now I'm wondering just how close _your_ relationship is that you can do it with no problem." He smirked. "I also wonder if you did more than sleep."

"Please don't put that image in my head," Portugal said.

Spain had also balked at Prussia's words, but France gave a lazy smile.

"And if we _did_?" he asked playfully.

"Ay, Francis!" Spain exclaimed. "Don't say things like that!"

"Seriously," Portugal said. "That is something I neither needed nor wanted to know."

…

"We're here," Australia announced. "Everybody out."

Marshall Islands stretched as everyone around him stood to get out of the plane. Australia was the one to suggest that the Oceanic nations stay together at his place, and Marshall was glad that he had waited before boarding a flight. Samoa, he knew, needed to get another flight to get to Sydney.

The teenaged nation was glad that Australia had made that offer. He didn't particularly want to be alone. Especially since he had been told about America's death.

Puerto Rico was the one that alerted him of the fact that America was dead, something that the other nations probably didn't know. That was also something that he was going to keep secret, for now.

He had a feeling that they were right. The possibility of the killers being nations was strong, and they didn't know who they could trust. Even now, Marshall didn't know how many of his fellow Oceanic nations could be trusted. He just needed to stay a small target and not anger anyone.

He felt someone ruffle his hair, and he turned to see New Zealand smiling at him.

"What's on your mind?" New Zealand asked.

"Nothing," Marshall said. "I guess I'm just tired after the flight. By the way, are _you_ okay?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"I don't know. You seemed… down, I guess."

New Zealand gave a small smile.

"I found out my older brother is dead," he said. "Can you blame me?"

Marshall thought of America, and shook his head.

"No, I guess you're right," he said.

"Come on," New Zealand said, "before Oz starts teasing us for taking so long."

Despite himself, Marshall smiled. He always liked New Zealand. He was calm and collected, and always had the best advice. He was also strong of mind and spirit. It didn't seem as though anything could get under his skin.

"Yeah," Marshall said. "Let's go."

…

Italy was pouting. He tried hard to ignore how Romano and Greece were acting towards each other. His own lover would have joined them, but something came up.

And Mexico and Argentina didn't make things better. Neither did Chile and Venezuela. They were making him jealous.

Well, at least he wasn't the only one frustrated.

Albania joined him on the couch, face twisted distastefully as he heard Chile cooing something to Venezuela.

"They're being disgusting," Albania said. "And they're rubbing it in. So, any idea when the others are coming? I mean, there's no reason why they have to tour through the southern half of the country to look for you."

"They're not," Italy said. "They stopped at Angelo's house. They're making sure that everything is secure. Alessia will probably join us."

Albania smiled.

"That's good to know," he said. "I can't wait for her to come, and…"

"Stop right there," Italy said, holding up his hand. "I don't want to know what you're planning to do with my sister. It's bad enough that I have to see what's going on between Greece and my brother."

"You're probably right," Albania winced. "So, any idea what France and the others are doing in your country?"

Italy was grateful for the change of subject, and frowned in concentration.

"They're going through my houses, but they don't stay long enough to go through my stuff, with the exception of last night. I'm going to have to boil the bedsheets. Portugal, I'm not too worried about, but the _other_ three…"

Albania chuckled as Italy's meaning became clear.

"You don't think they would have done anything in your bed, do you?" he asked.

" _Please_ tell me you haven't ignored the tension between France and Spain," Italy groaned. "It's only a matter of time before they jump each other. And knowing Prussia, he would most likely jump in as well."

Albania started to chuckle, before he stopped. His face told Italy that his mind provided a mental image, and it wasn't pleasing the other nation.

"…Alright, I see your point," Albania said. "So, when are we going to deal with them?"

"After we've learned a bit more about Alvora," Italy said. "It bothers me that they've slipped under our radar. Our observations show nothing that could implicate any of them. It also bothers me that they knew about us before we knew about them. And it's all thanks to Mexico."

"And what are you planning to do about it?"

"Simple. I'm going to use the same method they did. I'm going to learn more about them from one of them."

…

Zimbabwe was wandering through the house, seeing what there was to do. Well, it was more of a mansion than a house, and he wondered how they had managed to hide its presence from the rest of them.

There was a pool outside, and he was planning on paying it a visit soon. And then there was the beach, but they couldn't go there without a chaperone, and Zimbabwe's pride wouldn't be able to handle that.

He also saw a field that looked as though it could be used for a soccer or hockey game. Perhaps Black would be willing to indulge him.

He heard a feminine voice, and he vaguely recognised it as Morocco's. It took a while to properly recognise it, since she was speaking… Arabic, was it?

His curiosity got the better of him, and he wandered closer. He could see her lounging on a chair, speaking on the phone. She was playing idly with her necklace.

He wondered if she was speaking to her government. He remembered that her capital had also been attacked. If so, then it made sense.

He was about to leave when he focused on the necklace. He recognised its design. The beadwork… it was Zulu. She was wearing a Zulu necklace. Once the realisation hit him, he started noting the colours, and he couldn't help but gag when he realised what they meant. He was still in denial about the fact that Morocco and Black were in a relationship.

He turned away, only to bump into someone. His heart almost stopped when he saw who it was.

"What are you doing?" North Korea asked.

"I… I was just…" Zimbabwe stammered.

He heard that, supposedly, South was the dangerous one, but it didn't change the fact that North gave him the creeps. It was largely because he didn't really know enough about North Korea to be able to trust him.

North noticed this, and he shrugged.

"I'm not going to hurt you," he said. "But, what _are_ you doing?"

"I'm just… looking for something to do," Zimbabwe said weakly.

"And you're eavesdropping on Imane?"

"I… Why do you keep calling each other by your human names?"

It was something that nations only did when they were particularly close with another nation. And Zimbabwe could not place North Korea and Morocco in the same category.

North raised his eyebrow, as though the question was odd.

"Why do nations usually use each other's first names?" North asked.

"But…"

"We all trust each other. When you have to keep a secret – hiding your true self from the rest of the world – then it's only natural that we form bonds with each other."

"And… what about Themba and Morocco being together? That's just…"

"Same reason. We've opened up to each other, and eventually, romance bloomed."

Zimbabwe was silent for a moment.

"Do _you_ have someone like…?" he asked, but couldn't even properly formulate the question.

"Wales," North said simply.

Zimbabwe tried to picture that. He failed miserably.

"Try not to overthink things," North said, before he turned.

In that turning, Zimbabwe noticed something on North's neck. It was a thin scar, barely noticeable. But it was still there.

"What happened there?" Zimbabwe asked impulsively, hand subconsciously going towards his neck.

North turned back to look at him, and when he realised what he was asking, he sighed.

"…This is what my brother did to me," North said. "And we _weren't_ at war."

Zimbabwe shuddered. While he sometimes had a tense relationship with his brother, neither he nor Zambia would hurt each other to the point of scarring the other. And the thought of any of his neighbours hurting him also didn't sit well with him.

North saw that he had nothing more to say, and so left him alone. Zimbabwe realised that there was a lot more going on behind the scenes, and it wasn't just related to the two organisations.

…

Sri Lanka glanced towards Maldives. The two were only just now returning to Sri Lanka's country. He had been asked to stay behind and given a lot to think about.

He knew about Alvora for a long time now. He knew that they were performing experiments and gathering resources, but he didn't think they would actually do it. He didn't even know about all of the members. Only two.

India had asked him to stay behind, and told him about another group called Requiem. It seemed outlandish at first, but then he revealed something that no one else could know: the capitals of several nations were attacked, almost all of them Alvora nations.

He knew that there was no way that they would attack themselves, or each other. And the media was being quiet about it, which meant that the nations themselves were keeping things under wraps.

He had been informed of the brutality that Requiem allegedly displayed, but he found it hard to believe. Cannibals?

Sri Lanka's eyes drifted to Maldives, who was peacefully sleeping. He didn't know anything about this, of course, and Sri Lanka felt guilty for leaving him in the dark. But he had made a promise that he wouldn't reveal their existence to anyone.

India had asked him to stay behind in order to ask him again to join them. And again, he had declined them. At least, until he was certain about this… Requiem.

If there _was_ another group, and they _were_ responsible for the deaths of at least three nations… then Sri Lanka knew that his best hope of survival would be to have Alvora on his side. He didn't want to be vulnerable. And he knew of their strength.

It was all for the sake of survival, both his and that of Maldives.

 **We once had a class about the Zulu love letter, which is basically using beadwork and colour coding the beads to convey the message. That's what caused Zimbabwe to grow uncomfortable: because he knows the meaning behind the beads in Morocco's necklace.**


	18. Chapter 17

**Thanks to Ate Luya and AquaEclipse for reviewing.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 17**

Kazakhstan relaxed as she felt Kyrgyzstan toy with her hair. Whenever the other female was nervous, she tended to fidget with hair, not necessarily her own. Afghanistan didn't appreciate it, so Kazakhstan offered her own head for Kyrgyzstan's sake. She actually enjoyed the feeling of fingers running through her hair. And Kyrgyzstan would occasionally massage her scalp, so Kazakhstan found no reason to complain.

All of the -stan nations were currently in Kyrgyzstan's house, since they didn't want to separate until they knew that it was safe. Afghanistan wasn't too happy about being cooped up in another country, but everyone could see that she was just as worried as the rest of them.

Kazakhstan hoped that they received news soon – the waiting was killing her.

…

"So, why can't we just use magic?" Somalia asked.

The third member of their group sighed.

"Because my magic isn't that powerful," she said. "If we're going to South Africa, where their allies most likely are as well, then conflict is inevitable. I don't want to have to use too much magic, in case we need it."

"We _do_ have the orbs with us," Ethiopia said. "If we need to make a getaway…"

"I don't want to take any chances. Which is why we're _flying_."

The two Africans sighed. They knew that there was no arguing with her once she made up her mind about something.

…

"Okay, that's a bit weird," Botswana said.

Zimbabwe had told him and Namibia about the necklace that he had seen Morocco wear around her neck. It was a Zulu necklace, and the shapes and colours conveyed that it was meant to be a Zulu love letter.

"Well, it's not too surprising," Namibia said. "They _are_ in a relationship. Apparently. Supposedly… Presumably…"

She seemed to come to a mental standstill. Yeah, it was clear that she was still trying to process everything as well.

"This is all too weird," Namibia said at last, falling backwards into the couch behind her.

"What's too weird?"

The three of them jumped, before turning to the door, where they saw Cape Verde leaning against the doorframe. When they heard that Cape Verde was also a member, they were surprised. They didn't think that the aloof nation would take part in anything, outside official business.

However, they had noticed that the island nation was considerably warmer towards the other members of Alvora. Perhaps he didn't feel comfortable around other nations.

His silver eyes were trained on them, and they squirmed under his gaze.

"Um," Botswana said, "it's just weird that you guys are all… all in a relationship with each other. And considering certain… opinions, the pairings are a bit… bizarre."

Verde raised an eyebrow, before shaking his head.

"We live outside the influence of humans and their politics," Verde explained. "The rules of humans don't necessarily apply to us. And besides, we decided that our happiness was more important than whatever silly beliefs the humans have."

"What about you?" Namibia asked. "Who are you with?"

Verde chuckled.

"East Timor," he said.

"See?!" Zimbabwe exclaimed. "It just doesn't make any sense."

"In what way?"

"For one thing, you're not even part of the same continent. What connection could you _possibly_ have?"

"We're both Lusophones," Verde pointed out.

Zimbabwe clenched his jaw. Verde sighed.

"You should know that we didn't always operate by the book," Verde said. "The history book, to be exact. You can't rely on everything you know of us _officially_. We have a life outside of war and politics. We're free to do what we want to, and make friends with who we want to. That reminds me…"

Verde removed a book and a box, which he brought over towards Botswana.

"Themba said you might want this," Verde explained.

Botswana beamed. It was a sketchbook along with a simple drawing kit – pencils, eraser and sharpener. The others only rolled their eyes.

It made sense that Black would think of something like that. He was an artist as well, but while Botswana preferred to draw what and who he saw before him, Black preferred abstract art, at least when it came to drawing or painting. He was also fond of carving and sculpting. In fact, they each had a keychain made by Black, which he had gifted them on New Year's Eve 1999, as a sort of celebration of a new century.

That was how they knew that Black was the one that made Morocco's necklace.

"Okay, so we know that Sammy won't get bored anytime soon," Namibia said. "What about the rest of us?"

"There are books, movies, and other things to entertain yourselves," Verde said. "Knock yourselves out."

The three of them watched as he left, and they glanced towards each other. Botswana's face cracked into a smile.

"So, who wants to be first?" he asked, holding up the drawing tools.

…

"Wow, there are a lot of books," Kenya said, staring at the bookshelf. "She must _really_ have loved André Brink and the others."

"The Sestigers?" Sierra Leone asked, glancing up from the computer.

They were in the study, which consisted of two computers and the walls absolutely covered in books.

"I guess," Kenya said. "I think she has everything they ever published. But… weren't these banned?"

"Not sure," Sierra said. "And it makes sense that she has them. She was friends with them."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah. You do _not_ want to know what she was like when Ingrid Jonker committed suicide. She really liked her."

"Huh. I didn't know that. Did she ever even read these books?"

"Every single one of them."

Kenya gave a low whistle, before grabbing one of the few English books on the shelf.

"She wouldn't mind if I just read one of these, right?" Kenya asked.

"Go ahead," Sierra said. "Just be careful of the paperbacks. She throws a fit if there's a single fold in the spine."

"…Go for the hardbacks then. Good to know."

"Probably the safest bet."

"So, what are you doing?"

"I'm just working on the foreign relations of my country. We need to sever ties as soon as possible. We can't afford for any of Requiem's nations to have any lingering influence in our countries."

"Makes sense. But… Can't you just call your Minister of Foreign Affairs or something?"

"We don't really work with our ministers. We're usually too busy cleaning up their messes. The only time we have anything to do with them is when we make it _perfectly_ clear that they fucked something up. You should have seen Angela during the civil war. I've never seen government officials cower like that in front of their nation."

Kenya giggled.

"Oh, I can only _imagine_ ," she said. "But… Well, don't the humans mess with your plans?"

"Not really," Sierra said. "We usually let them do whatever they want. We find that we can work better when the circumstances in our countries are less than pleasant."

"How do you figure that?"

"Because our governments are doing whatever the hell they want without consulting us. Since we don't have to worry about doing 'official' work, we can do what we need to do for Alvora."

"Okay, I can see your point. By the way, how do your governments feel about all of this?"

"They're not too happy, but a casual reminder about the fact that we're immortal put them in their places."

"Huh?"

"We've seen shit. A casual reminder of that turns them into meek little lambs."

"…So, you threatened them?"

"Pretty much. Do you blame us?"

"…No, not really. I can kind of understand it. How many times did I think about wiping a politician's smug smile off his face…?"

Sierra chuckled.

"Welcome to the club," she said.

…

"Okay," Vatican said. "All the files have been put away. Anything else?"

"No, I think we're finished," Malta said.

"You just want to join your lover boy."

"And _you_ don't?"

"We do," Vatican said. "Duty comes first. Once everything is sorted out, we'll have all the time we want with them."

Malta grinned.

"I can't wait," she said.

…

Seborga had a lazy smile on his face as he made his way towards one of the rooms. One of their guests was in there, and he wanted to pay him a little visit.

Seborga opened the door, and his smile turned into a grin when he saw the nation struggle in the chair. Classical music streamed from a speaker. DRC was strapped to a chair, unable to move. He also had a gag and blindfold on.

Some of the songs they would play had subliminal messages, while some were fine on their own. Alleged 'cursed songs'. They had quite a few of them. And the ones that Requiem played weren't exactly _cursed_ , but they _did_ affect the listener's sanity.

The song that was currently playing was a perfect example. Gloomy Sunday.

…

"Dammit!" Prussia exclaimed. "Could we _please_ stop for lunch?"

France looked in the rear view mirror, seeing his friend about to snap. He sighed.

"Oui," he said. "We can stop."

Prussia leaned back in his seat with a relieved smile on his face. Portugal rolled his eyes.

"But in exchange," France said, "you're the next one to drive."

"Okay, fine," Prussia said.

They weren't anywhere near one of Italy's houses, but instead a small town in the countryside. France was already scanning the streets for a place to eat, while Portugal was focused on the people.

It might have been his imagination, but it seemed as though all of the humans were focusing on their car. Their expressions were cold as they passed, in contrast to the warm atmosphere that the town possessed. Portugal shuddered, getting a bad feeling.

"Hey, why don't we wait to have lunch until we reach the next house?" Portugal suggested.

"What?" Prussia groaned. "But I'm hungry _now_."

"It would still be another hour," France chimed in.

Portugal gave Prussia a meaningful look, before gesturing outside. Prussia frowned, before his eyes widened, seeing what Portugal saw.

"…Fine," Prussia huffed. "I guess I can wait an hour. Who knows? Feli might be at the next house, and he'd have made some pasta. Or _would_ make pasta. And we don't have to spend any money on food."

Spain looked backwards, raising an eyebrow, but Prussia pointedly looked away, outside the window. Now that his attention had been drawn towards it, he could see exactly what Portugal could see. And he didn't like it one bit.

…

"Ugh," Argentina groaned, grabbing her head. "How much longer do we have to wait?"

"It'll be a while still," Italy said calmly. "Ethiopia informed me of the fact that our guest wasn't at home. They managed to find out where he is, and are on their way there."

"Are they _flying_?"

"Si."

Argentina huffed, crossing her arms. Mexico threw her arm around Argentina's shoulder.

"Don't worry," Mexico said. "The longer we have to wait, the more fun we can have once he arrives. Speaking of fun, we can have another type if you want."

Italy shuddered, but Argentina only sighed.

"I'm just a little bored," she said. "We were promised the opportunity to let loose. We were promised that we wouldn't have to hide anymore."

"I'm sorry about that," Italy said. "Alvora was one thing we weren't able to anticipate. Among other things, I want to know how they managed it. It's actually pretty exciting."

"Exciting?" Mexico repeated.

"We thought it would be a breeze to take down the nations one by one. Alvora hopefully adds a bit of challenge. No… They _will_ be a challenge."

"And how do you figure _that_?" Argentina asked. "Canada was at Rosa's mercy. If they were so strong…"

Italy chuckled.

"Canada was caught by surprise," he said. "And they would have added to their strength by now. Tell me, how many nations are in Africa?"

"Well over fifty," Mexico sighed.

"They're missing ten of them."

It took a while for the two females to realise what he was saying, and their eyes widened.

"They would have enough strength to actually pose a challenge," Argentina said, before she smirked. "And that would make things interesting."

"Exactly," Italy said.

"And if they were _already_ strong enough to pose a challenge?" Mexico asked. "They could go from being a challenge, to being a threat."

"But there are ways to deal with threats," Italy pointed out. "The Africans reported a lot of interesting things."

"Such as?" Argentina asked.

"Apparently, Morocco and Black South Africa have the same type of relationship that you do."

Mexico chuckled, a dark expression on her face.

"And it would be easy to negotiate with them if they _all_ have that type of relationship with other members," she said. "Kind of like us."

"As long as they don't use our idea against us," Argentina said, leaning closer to Mexico.

"They need to figure out who's with who first," Italy said. "And we have to do the same thing for them."

…

"This isn't good," Romania said, placing the phone in his pocket.

The leader was currently unavailable, so anyone who learned of a new development had to call Romania and report in. Malaysia was the one on the phone right now.

"What's not good?" Serbia asked, a concerned frown on his face.

"Akmal just reported that Singapore's missing," Romania said. "She was taken. And it doesn't look like she was awake for the ordeal."

"Like, isn't that a good thing?" Poland asked.

"She was shot in her bed, possibly transported when she was recovering from being killed."

"Are you sure that she was taken, and not just killed?" Serbia asked.

"If she was killed, then she would have been left there. Akmal explained that Philippines is obsessed with Singapore. Whether or not it's a lie has yet to be determined, but if she has any type of obsession…"

"Like, it wouldn't be great for anyone involved," Poland said. "Like, any other news?"

"Nothing yet," Romania said. "No news is good news, but I get the strangest feeling that something is going to happen. I… I think I'll go check."

…

Finland was humming as he was baking cookies. It was nice to have all the Nordics together again, although the circumstances could have been better.

He wondered if he should invite Estonia to join them once he returned from North America. Knowing his friend, the Baltic would be eager to join the Nordics. He still didn't understand Estonia's obsession with being a Nordic. It wasn't as though it would make a difference, was it?

"Ooh, cookies!"

Finland turned around and saw Denmark enter the kitchen, looking over the batch that Finland had already taken out of the oven.

"Careful," Finland warned. "They're still hot."

Denmark ignored him, taking one of the cookies, only to immediately drop it, thankfully on the cooling rack with the others.

"Told you," Finland said, smiling softly.

Finland watched as Denmark reached out a tentative hand, being careful of burning again. Denmark grinned in victory when he managed to successfully grab a cookie.

Finland shook his head. Sometimes it was hard to remember that Denmark was once a fierce nation when he acted like a child.

…

Wales sighed as he prepared some tea. Things were still tense after England died. Scotland and Northern Ireland were doing work, and Wales didn't know what Ireland was up to. And everyone's tempers had a short fuse.

Wales massaged his temples. He still couldn't believe that England was dead. And he didn't know who could have killed him. Someone with a grudge, apparently. The way England had been tortured…

And then there was the matter of what he had found in the kitchen.

Wales had found two teacups in the kitchen, one still containing some cold tea. He thought it suspicious, so he had taken the liquid and had it tested. Scientific results didn't yield much, but then Wales tested it out magically.

A potion.

What the potion's purpose was had yet to be determined, but it meant that Requiem had a powerful magical nation on their side. He knew about Egypt, but who else could it…

"Where is he?!"

Wales flinched when he heard the voice, but his face adopted an alarmed expression when he realised who it was. Sealand.

Wales quickly went to the living room, where Sealand was looking around, possibly debating in which direction he should go. Once he spotted Wales, however, it seemed he knew where he needed to go, and stormed over towards Wales.

"Where is he?" Sealand demanded.

"Who?" Wales asked.

"The jerk. Where's England? I went to his house, but no one's there, and I don't know where else he is. I can't…"

Sealand shook his head, a frown on his face. Wales knew that the micronations possessed an ability that allowed them to instantly go where they wanted and to who they wanted, and knew that Sealand had tried to go to England, only to fail.

Wales bit his lip. He realised that he had the unpleasant duty of informing Sealand about England's fate.

"Peter, I have some bad news," Wales said, sitting on the nearest seat.

Sealand seemed to realise that Wales was serious, for he frowned in worry.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Arthur… he's dead," Wales said.

"Then… we'll just wait for him to wake up."

"No, Peter. Arthur's dead. Permanently."

"What? But… I thought nations couldn't…"

"There are some ways. And someone used one of those ways to kill Arthur."

At the mention of the word 'kill', Sealand's body seemed to ripple with a new fear.

"K-killed?" Sealand repeated. "B-but… who could… I thought he was…"

Wales waited patiently, knowing that the waterworks would come. Sealand tried to pretend that he didn't care about England, but Wales knew it to be a lie. His efforts to prove himself betrayed him.

"He can't be dead!" Sealand exclaimed. "He hasn't admitted that I'm a strong nation! I…"

Sealand ran to Wales, and the older held the younger as he cried.


	19. Chapter 18

**Thanks to Eternal Nexus Warrior and AquaEclipse for reviewing.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 18**

Saint Vincent stumbled into the kitchen. It was about nine in the morning, and he seriously needed some coffee. One thing that all of the Caribbean nations had in common was the fact that they did _not_ enjoy mornings.

But it seemed that there was more than that going on.

Vincent stopped when he saw Haiti sitting at the kitchen counter, a cup of coffee in front of his folded arms, which he was using as a pillow. Cocking his head to the side, Vincent went to wake him, and he jumped when Haiti jumped awake.

"Vinny?" Haiti questioned, voice groggy.

"Is everything alright?" Vincent asked. "Didn't you get enough sleep?"

"Apparently not," Haiti mumbled, before grabbing the coffee.

"…I think you need another dose of that."

"If you're offering, I would appreciate it."

Vincent chuckled, before he went to fix themselves some coffee.

"So, what kept you up?" Vincent asked. "All the stress from the meeting?"

"Something like that," Haiti said. "I was praying."

Vincent paused. He knew of Haiti's religion. It was a topic that the Caribbeans tried to avoid as much as possible. It made most of them nervous, to be honest. And it went against their own beliefs.

Well, the number one rule among nations was that one kept quiet about religion. The second was that you tried to avoid politics. And so, Vincent didn't say anything.

"Do you think your prayers will come true?" Vincent asked.

"I hope so," Haiti said.

That was as far as Vincent dared to ask. He didn't really want to know any more about the matter.

Instead, Vincent placed the fresh cup of coffee in front of Haiti, who immediately downed it. Vincent calmly sipped his own.

"Did you get _any_ sleep?" Vincent asked.

"I think about an hour's worth," Haiti mumbled.

Vincent's eyes widened.

"An _hour_?!" he repeated. "What were you praying for?"

He immediately regretted asking. He didn't want to know. If it involved what he remembered it to involve…

Haiti gave him an odd look, and Vincent couldn't tell if he was annoyed or just exhausted.

"You _do_ know that my Catholics accept Vodou, right?" Haiti asked. "In fact, they combine their own beliefs with aspects of Vodou. So I don't get why the rest of you are so skittish about it."

Vincent winced, but before he could say anything, Grenadines arrived, looking just as exhausted as Vincent had been when he first arrived. Count on Haiti to chase exhaustion away.

"Hey," Grenadines said. "There still coffee?"

Vincent gestured towards the pot, and his sister went to fix herself some. Vincent glanced towards Haiti, who avoided his gaze. He realised that he had upset the other, even offended him, but he didn't know what he could do or say to make it up to him.

…

Uruguay groaned when he turned on the kitchen light. He automatically turned on the kettle before he started looking for cups. It would seem that he was the first to wake.

He, Paraguay and Bolivia had all gathered at Bolivia's house. They tried to get some of the other South Americans to join them, but the others were all busy with something else that would apparently keep them out of South America for a while. Probably something from each of their bosses.

The three of them had an agreement: whoever was the first to wake had to turn the kettle on and prepare breakfast.

Shaking his head, Uruguay went to check on what Bolivia had in his fridge.

…

Newfoundland was making breakfast for everyone. She couldn't remember the last time she had made breakfast for this many people. It wasn't often that the other provinces and territories came to her part of the country.

She felt a furry body next to her feet, and looked down at her Labrador, Noah. She smiled at the dog.

"Are you hungry?" she asked.

At her words, the tail started wagging enthusiastically, which she assumed meant 'yes'. She chuckled, before going to the fridge to fetch his food. She frowned when she saw the supply was a bit low. It would seem as though she would have to make some more later that day.

As soon as Noah began to eat, Canada stumbled into the kitchen. Newfoundland gasped when she saw the state he was in: his face was chalk-white and he had dark circles around his eyes.

"Are you alright?" she asked, immediately moving to get him a glass of water.

"I'm fine," Canada said. "The stuff Vlad gave me is _very_ potent."

She winced, handing him the glass, which he swallowed down in two seconds.

"I don't think Damjan is going to be too happy with Vlad when he sees the state you're in," Newfoundland said.

"At the moment, I don't have a lot of sympathy for Vlad."

She chuckled, before returning to the pancakes she was making. Just out of curiosity, she placed one of the finished pancakes in front of Canada, who immediately turned away, a bit of green blending into the white.

"Wow," she said. "It _must_ be potent if you say 'no' to pancakes."

"What's potent?"

Newfoundland jumped in surprise, spinning to the door. She relaxed when she saw that it was Lithuania standing there.

"Don't do that," she said, placing a hand on her chest.

"Sorry," Lithuania said. "So, what's potent?"

"The thing Vlad gave me to convince everyone I'm really sick," Canada said.

"What is it?"

"Some of England's month-old scones."

Lithuania paused, before he flinched.

" _Why_ does Vlad have it?" he asked.

"England gave it to him, and he forgot about it," Newfoundland explained.

Lithuania shook his head, before a shudder raced through his body.

"With all of that, it's a wonder you two can cook," Lithuania said.

"Why do you think we know _how_ to cook?" Newfoundland asked. "If we could add cooking as a chore, then England had fewer opportunities."

Lithuania chuckled.

"So, anything to eat yet?" Lithuania asked.

"Some pancakes," she said. "Syrup's on the table."

He nodded and smiled, before helping himself. He noticed that Canada wasn't eating, but said nothing about it.

It was only a matter of time before the other guests arrived, and the three Alvora members made sure to be careful about what they said.

…

Cape Verde was on the phone with East Timor. They were waiting for lunch to be ready, and in the meantime, Verde wanted to hear from his love.

But what he heard didn't sound good.

Singapore was missing, and judging by the state her country was in, she was afraid. And knowing Singapore, it had to take a _lot_ to scare her.

"You really think it's Philippines?" Verde asked.

"Considering the obsession she displayed towards Singapore, I have no doubt that she's somehow involved. To what purpose, though, I have no idea."

"Maybe she was serious about her obsession. And that could mean…"

There was a curse on the other end.

"We _need_ to find Aminah," Timor said.

"Good luck," Verde said. "I think you're going to need it."

"Thanks. I love you."

Verde smiled.

"Love you too," he said.

They disconnected the call, and Verde decided to go see what the others were doing, and whether or not they knew about the Singapore situation.

…

Switzerland was enjoying tea with Liechtenstein, though his mind was in several different places. First, there was the situation with Alvora. They needed to find more members from their unpredicted rivals, and they needed to learn more about the organisation itself.

Such as the method of Canada's escape. Requiem had developed technology that allowed them to instantly go from one place to another, but according to Mexico, Canada didn't use anything like that. He disappeared after saying an odd word.

Perhaps magic, then. But who did they have on their side with magic? They had a record of all of the magical nations, but…

"Is something wrong?" Liechtenstein asked.

Switzerland shook himself from his thoughts, before focusing on Liechtenstein.

"Why do you ask that?" he asked.

"You were frowning, and you had a faraway look on your face," she explained.

He mentally smacked himself. Of course she would notice that his thoughts were somewhere else. She had always been pretty observant, despite her naïveté.

"I'm fine," Switzerland said. "I guess I was just thinking about Germany."

As expected, her posture dropped, like a flower wilting.

"Oh," she said despondently. "It's really horrible what happened to him. Who would do something like that?"

"I don't know," he lied. "But I'll keep you safe."

She gave him a small smile.

"I know you will," she said. "I could always count on you."

Switzerland took a long sip of his tea in order to hide the expression on his face.

…

Singapore lay on her side, her hands clasped in front of her chest. Philippines had brought her breakfast and lunch, but after lunch, Singapore had noticed something wrong within a few minutes. She was afraid of being drugged, but Philippines had said that if she didn't eat, then she would force-feed her, and Singapore didn't want to deal with the humiliation, so she ate.

Singapore had been worried about the breakfast being drugged, when she should have worried about the lunch. She whimpered as pain stabbed her abdomen. It seemed as though Philippines had given her an aphrodisiac. And left her there.

Singapore glanced towards the clock. Philippines had been gone for an hour. The aphrodisiac would hopefully wear off soon. If so, then why would Philippines feed it to her in the first place, if she wasn't going to…

Singapore tried to kick the covers off, but it brought no relief. She didn't know what Philippines was up to, but she hated it. And she refused to submit to whatever it was.

…

Yemen was on the phone, massaging his temples. He had tried to call Oman to arrange a meeting, but his neighbour was apparently too busy to even discuss the time of a meeting. He didn't know what was going on. Just last week, Oman had complained of boredom.

"Fine," Yemen sighed. "If you really can't… we'll do it another time."

"I'm really sorry about this," Oman said. "I'll see if I can make it up to you."

"No, don't worry about it. If it's important, then there's no helping it. I'll see again next week."

After exchanging farewells, Yemen disconnected the call. He hissed in pain, feeling the effects of the civil war yet again. He wanted it all to stop, but he was limited in how much he could interfere with the state of his country's affairs.

At the very least, he wished for it to stop hurting him.

…

Vietnam was working on dinner. Laos, Cambodia and Thailand were helping out with other chores. It was the condition she set before she allowed them to stay with her.

China had already called her to inform her about America's fate. She didn't think that she could have been more horrified than when she'd heard about Japan, but China had proved her wrong. China's account of the state America's body was in and the evidence of what had been done to it had almost made her physically sick.

It was obvious that whoever was responsible for this was insane. And she was starting to think that an organisation was involved. All this simply _couldn't_ have been done by an individual.

She didn't know what was worse: the thought of there being only one deranged individual, or an entire group of them. She sincerely hoped that it didn't reach her part of the world.

But if it did, then she vowed to be ready. She knew that she needed to fortify her country against any possible threat. And she needed to make sure that the others did so as well.

No matter what, they would _not_ fall to the ones responsible for Japan and the others' deaths.

…

China and his companions were waiting at the airport. Russia would be arriving with a private plane, and then they would go together to Mexico.

China felt uncomfortable about taking the others along, but Macau was the one that insisted that he accompany China. And afterwards, Hong Kong and Taiwan insisted as well. Macau was also the one that pointed out that it didn't really seem safe to leave them alone, especially considering the nation had died, and independent nations were emerging from the states.

When China had first heard that the United States were now becoming their own nations, he was surprised. The news hadn't reached him until he had actually been _in_ the country. But then the reason had become clear. With all the random deaths happening, including the death of several politicians, the media didn't have time to spread the word beyond the borders.

There _was_ one thing he managed to learn. The death toll in Alaska wasn't as severe as the other states. In fact, it had almost immediately calmed down once the governor of Alaska allowed the state to be annexed by the neighbouring Canada. China knew that it wasn't quite like that. Canada had adopted Alaska, and once she was no longer considered American, the cull was stopped.

China was snapped out of his thoughts when he saw familiar Europeans. He stood, and the other nations followed his lead, before they went to join their fellow nations.

"Privet, comrade," Russia greeted. "The plane needs to refuel, and we thought it wise to eat some lunch as well, if you'd care to join us."

"Yes," China said, nodding his head. "We haven't eaten yet either, so we might as well."

"Just stay with something light," Ukraine said, smiling softly.

…

Kiribati collapsed onto her bed. She felt unbelievably tired, but it wasn't because of jetlag. At least, she didn't think so.

She heard footsteps, and a few seconds later someone else collapsed onto the bed. Kiribati didn't have to look to know who it was.

"What's wrong?" Tuvalu asked.

Kiribati sighed, before she turned to the slightly younger girl.

"I'm not sure," she said. "I'm just so _tired_."

"Jetlag?" Tuvalu asked.

"No, I don't think so."

"Do you think Jett could give you something?"

"No, it's okay. I think I should just sleep."

"Oh, okay. I'll be by later."

Kiribati nodded, and she heard Tuvalu leave. She heaved herself up, before she went to look for something to wear to bed.

Just as she was about to pull off her shirt, a sharp pain in her skull made her stop. She cried out in agony, her hand making its way to her temple, while the other pressed against the bed for support. She breathed deeply, trying to work off the headache. When it didn't seem as though it was coming back, she turned back to the task at hand.

She was forced to stop again as an even worse pain ran through her head, forcing a cry from her lips as she fell to her knees. This time, however, she saw an image. It was a black sheep, but its legs were drenched in blood.

She thought she heard someone enter the room, but her back was turned to the door. The voice was muffled, and all she could make out was that it was a male voice.

She continued to fall, her vision turning black. The last thing she recalled before losing consciousness was immense fear, and the desire to keep the source of her fear away.

…

"And I was hoping that you called just to chat," Italy sighed.

"I'm sorry," the other said. "But it would seem as though Kiribati's latent magic has awoken."

"That's odd. So, how powerful is it?"

"Well, she trashed her bedroom. Not destroy, just trash. But she only seems to release the magic whenever I'm around. It's as though she's trying to keep me away."

"Which means she considers you a threat. We have to deal with her."

"That would have to wait. The initial burst managed to knock her out. It knocked me against the wall, but it's not too surprising."

Italy pursed his lips, his mind racing.

"Do you think she's a clairvoyant?" Italy asked.

"I hope not," the other said. "She'll be a lot harder to fool. And I wouldn't want to harm her."

"No, you're right. The younger ones we need to avoid harming as much as possible. They can still prove useful. Instead, you should try to convince her that you're on her side. And that it would be in her best interests to join us."

"I just need to be careful. The moment she feels scared, she'll send me flying again."

"Right. I was going to tell you to be careful, anyway. And just so you know, I really miss you. I wish you're here."

The other chuckled.

"I wish I could be there as well," he said. "But I still need to deal with things here. I promise, we'll be together soon enough."

"I'll hold you to that. Ti amo."

"I love you too."

Italy hung up the phone, a wistful smile on his face. He had barely gotten off the phone when Romano entered the room.

"Good news," Romano said. "Somalia and the others are in South Africa."

Italy smirked.

"And now we'll just have to wait for our guest to arrive," Italy said. "And then we can have some fun."

…

Mexico and the South Americans, with the exception of Peru, were walking through the streets. They were looking for someone.

In front of them, they could see a man that appeared to be homeless, begging for money. The stench of alcohol surrounding him and the glazed look in his eyes told them what he intended to use the money on.

They exchanged a look. Someone like that wasn't ideal, but it wasn't as though he would be missed. And Greece had already given his permission for them to take someone like that.

This wasn't what they would have preferred, but they had enough experience to know that nothing polluting his body would be able to affect them.


	20. Chapter 19

**Thanks to Ate Luya and AquaEclipse for reviewing.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 19**

Algeria was breathing heavily, her head bowed down. She could hear the music playing, but she wasn't listening. She wished that she could listen to the music, since it had to be better than the voices she was hearing.

The worst part of those voices was that they were whisper-soft, and she could just barely make out what they were saying. But what she could make out sounded like a foreign language, but none that she could recognise. All that she knew was that the voices were making her feel aggressive. It didn't help that, despite the fact that they were whispers, the voices were drowning out the sound of the music.

She thought she heard something else, but she couldn't make out what it was. She was blindfolded as well, and a gag was placed in her mouth. So, if anything was there, other than the music and the voices, she wouldn't be able to figure out what it could be.

"You seem relatively calm."

A voice that she could make out clearly, but it wasn't one of the voices whispering to her. It sounded distorted somehow, and she couldn't make out if it belonged to a male or a female.

Calm? She was anything but calm. She felt as though she was on the brink of destroying something. She felt as though she… she was…

As though she was preparing for war.

The gag was removed, and she let out a cry that she hadn't even known was building within her.

"I want to know something," the distorted voice said. "Do you remember Morocco?"

At the name, images flashed through her mind. Recent images. The meeting. Finding out that they had been lied to. Seeing the smug look on Morocco's face as Tunisia signed the contract.

Tunisia… the traitor.

She felt her rage build, and she screamed her fury. And through it, she could hear laughter.

…

"This looks like the place," Somalia said. "It looks kind of like a hotel."

"A hotel that's isolated from the tourist spots, with the exception of being near a beach," Ethiopia said. "This is _definitely_ the place."

"We would need to proceed with caution," the third member of their group said. "We don't want to risk the chance of being caught in enemy territory. Especially if they happen to outnumber us."

"Agreed. We just need to find a way in first…"

"Shh. I hear someone coming."

The other two fell silent, and they quickly found a hiding place for themselves. They waited as they listened to the voices growing louder, realising that they recognised the voices, which meant that the owners were nations.

Soon their suspicions were confirmed, and they saw Sao Tomé, Príncipe, Lesotho and Swaziland, carrying towels and with the scent of the ocean following them.

"I can't believe you guys wanted to stay there so long," Sao Tomé said. "It's almost dinnertime."

"Actually, I can," Príncipe said. "They're both landlocked nations and children. So of course they'd want to spend as much time as possible at the beach."

The three hidden nations smirked when they saw who was coming. Somalia and Ethiopia quietly removed their handguns.

Before the approaching nations even realised that they were there, they each pulled the triggers of their respective pistols, felling the twin islands. Swaziland and Lesotho screamed in surprise as they saw their chaperones falling to the ground.

"Well, a bit of luck," the third member of Requiem's current group said, stepping out from the hiding place. "We only need one of them."

The two child-nations cowered, and the Requiem nations briefly wondered why they didn't try to run away. But then they remembered that Lesotho was still injured from a few days ago, and wouldn't be able to do something as taxing as that. They also noticed that Swaziland had positioned his body in such a way that he could protect Lesotho.

And both children were surprised when Ethiopia, instead of grabbing one of them, picked up Sao Tomé.

"W-what are you doing?" Swaziland demanded.

"We're taking him along," the third said, raising a device.

The other two made sure that they had contact with her body, and she pushed a button on the device.

…

Romano jumped in surprise when there was a flash and new arrivals in the middle of the living room. He groaned.

"I can never get used to the damn thing," he muttered.

Greece stood from his seat, approaching Ethiopia who was carrying a temporarily-dead Sao Tomé.

"At least the assignment is a success," Greece said.

"Si," Romano said. "Now we just need to wait for him to wake up. And then the games can begin."

…

Mozambique, Colombia, Black and Morocco were rushing out of the house. They had heard the gunshots that came from nearby, and Black especially looked disturbed. He could no longer sense Sao Tomé.

They found Lesotho and Swaziland next to Príncipe's prone body; however, Sao Tomé was missing.

"What happened?" Black demanded, looking at the two children.

"It… It was _them_ ," Lesotho said. "They… they took Sao T-Tomé."

Black gritted his teeth. He didn't have to wonder to know who the _them_ are that Lesotho was referring to. Requiem. But he needed to know who _exactly_ was involved.

"Can you tell me which nations?" he asked.

"S-Somalia," Swaziland said, "Ethiopia, and Belarus."

…

The Caribbean nations had gone to the beach. It was the best way for each of them to feel more relaxed. However, one of them wasn't relaxing.

This nation had a frown on his face, his gaze directed towards the east. He had the distinct impression that something was seriously wrong. And his instincts weren't in the habit of being wrong.

…

"I'm starting to think that we won't be able to find Ita," Spain lamented. "And the others can't find Romano either."

"We shouldn't give up hope, mon ami," France said.

They were at yet another one of Italy's houses, and they were just as unsuccessful as the previous times.

Prussia was starting to get frustrated. He knew that it was a hopeless venture. Italy wouldn't be found unless he wanted to be. And if he _wanted_ to be found, then it would spell bad news for them.

Portugal stumbled into the room, his face pale, but a look of rage was in his eyes. As soon as they had arrived at this house, Portugal had received a call. The look on his face and the immediate need of privacy told Prussia that it was someone from Alvora calling, which meant that it had to be urgent.

The look on Portugal's face told him now that it was worse than bad news.

"We're leaving," Portugal said, his voice strained. "We won't find Italy, and we've wasted enough time."

"No," Spain said. "We can't just…"

"Listen to me, Antonio!" Portugal snapped. "Something's not right in the world, and the fact that we don't know where Italy is tells me that he's involved. So please, for the love of…"

Prussia could see that Portugal looked almost on the verge of tears. He was both furious and terrified. Something bad had happened. And they needed to get away as soon as possible.

"I think he's right," Prussia said at last. "If we can't find Ita, no matter which house we visit or how many times we call, then we're not going to find him. We need to find a place that's safe. Franny, any ideas?"

France bit his lip, before he nodded.

"I know of a place," he said.

"Then go there," Portugal said. "I need to go elsewhere."

"What?" Spain demanded. "You…"

"Please, just trust me on this," Portugal said desperately. "Please."

Prussia looked towards the others, and he stepped towards Portugal.

"Why don't the two of us have a short chat first?" he suggested. "You can tell me anything that's bothering you."

Portugal nodded, and the two of them made their way to a bedroom, closing the door.

"What happened?" Prussia asked.

"The call?" Portugal asked. "It was Themba. Bad news, right on their front porch. Patrício and Tiago had taken Lesotho and Swaziland to the beach, and were just on their way back. They were ambushed by three Requiem members – Somalia, Ethiopia and Belarus – and they…"

"Wait," Prussia interrupted. "Belarus?"

"Sim."

"Toris told me that she didn't want to come on the trip to Canada. He said it was weird, because she usually would do anything to get near Russia… So, she's one of them too. What happened then?"

"Before they even realised they were there, they shot Patrício and Tiago."

"You mean, they're…"

"Normal bullets, not those modified ones they seem to have. But… they _took_ Tiago, and Patrício is still out of it."

Prussia's eyes widened.

"Damn," he whispered. "I can see why you want to get to them. What are you going to do?"

"What else?" Portugal demanded. "I'm going to find him, and then I'll get my little brother back."

"And I won't stop you," Prussia said. "Just be careful."

"I will."

…

When Mexico and the South Americans returned, they saw that everyone looked a bit more cheerful. Mexico smirked when she realised what it meant.

"Did our little guest arrive?" she asked.

"What do _you_ think?" Belarus arrived, entering the room and leaning against the doorframe with a smirk.

"Excellent," Chile said. "You wouldn't mind if we sampled a taste, would you?"

"Yes, actually," Italy said, crossing his arms. "We want him as whole as possible before we start questioning him. No need to break him before we can even begin playing."

"But… It's just a little bite."

"Good things come to those who wait. And wouldn't it be more entertaining to do it when he's awake?"

"You have a point," Argentina said. "Fine, we'll wait."

"Let's just hope that he's not too strong-willed," Venezuela said.

…

Príncipe groaned, and everyone was at his side in an instant. They had taken him to the medical room, and had been waiting for him to wake up.

He opened his eyes, seeing everyone around him. Equatorial Guinea was right next to him, reaching out a hand to stroke the hair out of his eyes.

"Caio?" Príncipe questioned. "What happened?"

"Requiem," Equatorial Guinea said.

Príncipe's eyes widened, and he looked around.

"W-where's Tiago?" Príncipe asked.

Equatorial Guinea flinched, averting his eyes.

"They took him," he explained. "It seems that that was what they wanted."

Príncipe stared at Equatorial Guinea in shock, and the other nation pulled him into a hug.

"I'm so sorry," Equatorial Guinea said. "I'm so sorry I couldn't protect you two."

"They took him," Príncipe muttered, feeling terrified for his twin. "Why?"

"I have an idea," Colombia said, jaw clenched. "I think they want to learn more about us."

Everyone realised what she was implying. Príncipe shuddered, closing his eyes and focusing on connecting to his twin. He whimpered as he opened his eyes.

"I can't reach him," he said. "I can sense he's alive, but _where_ he is…"

"Dammit!" Black exclaimed. "This… I'm sorry. We should have sensed them coming, but…"

"It seems that they've done their research," White said. "They're like us. They can't be sensed unless they want to be."

"But, he has to be…" Príncipe started.

"Tiago has no reason to hide from _us_ ," White said. "Which means that he's not in our country anymore."

"B-but… _how_?"

" _We_ have ways to go across continents in an instant," Brazil said. "Who's to say they haven't found a way either?"

Príncipe whimpered again, and Equatorial Guinea tightened his hold on him.

"We'll find him," he whispered, kissing Príncipe's head. "I promise you, we'll find him."

"It _should_ be easy, if Agewe would at least answer his phone," Angola sighed.

…

The island nation was going through the others' things, specifically looking for their phones. He was using the opportunity to see if he could find any enemies.

He jumped in surprise when he heard a phone ring, and he quickly made his way to the phone's direction. He checked the screen, and he frowned in confusion.

Why was Angola calling him? And… why was Angola's name registered as her human name?

He smirked as the realisation hit him. Alvora. He managed to find an Alvora nation.

He let the phone stop ringing, and listened to see if any other rang. When it didn't happen, he realised that there was only one Alvora nation currently with them.

Interesting.

…

Canada had only been back at Romania's house for a short while before they received disturbing news. One of their own had been captured by the enemy.

Romania was using his magic to try to find Sao Tomé, but was thus far unsuccessful. That only made the rest of them grow more worried.

Canada had been attacked by one of their members, and he had a good idea what they were capable of. The thought of an island nation being in their hands…

They all knew the dangers, and were already working on who would save him. But until they knew _where_ he was, they could do nothing.

Serbia had already forbidden Canada from going, and Romania had made it clear that Moldova wasn't going either. Neither was thrilled to be left out when one of their friends was in danger, but Canada could see the reason. Moldova was a child, and Serbia was still worried about Canada after he was injured.

What concerned them most at this moment was that Romania couldn't find him. And Wales was also working on it, along with Equatorial Guinea. Nearly all their magical nations were working on it.

Only Agewe was left, and Canada was worried about him as well, if he wasn't answering his calls.

…

Haiti returned to Jamaica's house, his stomach hurting. He knew that something bad was going to happen.

He jumped when he heard his ringtone, and he immediately went to where he'd left the phone, seeing that it was Black calling.

"What's wrong?" he asked. "Why are _you_ calling me?"

"We've been trying to get a hold of you for the last two hours," Black snapped.

"What happened?" Haiti asked, growing worried.

"We had a visit from Requiem. They took Tiago."

Haiti froze. Hearing that his boyfriend was in the hands of the enemy…

"How?" he snarled. "Why? What happened? How could they…?"

"Just like us, they figured out how to stay under the radar," Black said. "I couldn't sense them at all, and neither could Anika. Anyway, Patrício and Tiago took Lesotho and Swaziland to the beach, and they were ambushed when they came back. They both received a single shot to the head at the same time, and then they took Tiago. They completely ignored Nkau and Ngwane and went straight for Tiago."

"So, they specifically targeted him. And Patrício?"

"He just woke up. But he can't reach Tiago. At all. Vlad and Will are also having trouble finding him."

Haiti gasped, before he frowned.

"I'll get on it right away," Haiti said. "I won't let those bastards hurt him."

"You better hurry," Black said. "If Patrício's awake, then Tiago's awake. And we think they want to question him."

"Oh no…"

Haiti knew what it meant. He highly doubted that Requiem would use a peaceful method for questioning. And that was the good news. If they intended to question him, then they would keep him alive. But if _not_ …

Black said that Príncipe had woken up, which meant that they didn't use those bullets of theirs. Interrogation seemed like the best reason why they would want to take him.

"I'll get to work immediately," Haiti said, hanging up the phone.

"Get to work on _what_ , Agewe?"

Haiti froze when he heard that voice. He turned to see Jamaica standing there, leaning against the wall and looking smug.

"Navaro?" Haiti questioned. "How long have you been there?"

"I've been here the whole time," Jamaica said, before he smirked. "You're not the only one who knows magic. So, you're a member of Alvora?"

Haiti's eyes widened, and he took a step back.

"You're part of Requiem," he said.

"Very good," Jamaica said.

Haiti's face twisted into a snarl.

"Where's Tiago?!" he demanded.

"Who?" Jamaica asked, before his eyes lit up in realisation. "Ah, you mean Sao Tomé."

Haiti growled, and Jamaica cocked his head to the side.

"You're pretty hostile, even if he _is_ your ally," Jamaica said. His eyes widened. "Wait, you mean… You and Sao Tomé?"

"Where is he?!" Haiti snarled.

"You really think I'm going to tell you? But this makes things interesting. Why don't we play a game?"

"I'm not in the mood for games!"

"Pity. Because if you don't play, then the others will be playing with your little… friend. And I don't think you'll like what they have in mind."

Haiti growled.

"What game do you want to play?" he asked.

"Let's call it 20 questions," Jamaica said. "I'll ask you a few questions about Alvora, and if you answer me honestly, then the others wouldn't have a reason to ask _him_ those questions, and he'll be in a lot less pain. The others would want to play, but oh well. Makes things easier."

Haiti froze. He couldn't tell them anything, but he also couldn't let Sao Tomé get hurt. Jamaica saw his dilemma and smirked.

"Shall we begin?" he asked.

…

Sao Tomé groaned, feeling very uncomfortable. He opened his eyes, but couldn't figure out where he was.

He used the time to survey his surroundings and situation. He was tied to a chair in a relatively small, circular room with drawers against the walls. Along the ceiling he could see some sort of runes carved into the wall. The chair appeared to be right in the middle of the room. And he couldn't sense Príncipe.

That last part made him panic. No matter what, he could _always_ sense his twin. He could at least tell that he was alive.

Before he could figure out more, the door opened. His eyes widened when he saw the nations who entered.

"Well, that was earlier than expected," Italy said. "But oh well. Let the games begin."


	21. Chapter 20

**Thanks to AquaEclipse for reviewing.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 20**

Sao Tomé stared at the nations, his surprise turning into panic. Some of them he knew to be members of Requiem, while others… Were they part of Requiem as well?

He focused his attention on Italy, who stood ahead of the others, and glared.

"Where am I?" Sao Tomé demanded. "What do you want with me?"

"And you're not asking what _I'm_ doing here?" Italy asked.

"I already know that you're part of Requiem," Sao Tomé spat.

"Really? And how did you figure that?"

"We found your files. Venice, I think."

Italy's eyes widened.

"And you were able to decode them?" Italy asked. "Wait… The ones parading in my half of the country… So, at least one of the nations between France, Spain, Prussia and Portugal is part of Alvora. Which one?"

Sao Tomé didn't answer. Italy narrowed his eyes.

"My notes are in Latin, so I highly doubt that Prussia would be able to read it," he mused. "The _other_ three, on the other hand…"

"What are the odds of all four of them being Alvora?" Romano asked.

"No. If that was the case, then they would have left as soon as they realised where my allegiance lies. No, at least one of them _isn't_. But Sao Tomé here could tell us."

"And what makes you think I _will_?" he demanded.

"You don't understand the position you're in, do you? You're in enemy territory, in a remote location. We already searched you for any microchips or anything else that could be used to trace you through technology, and magic won't work in this room. See those inscriptions along the wall? They're to block all magic, whether the source is from in this room or outside."

Sao Tomé looked along the wall, trying not to swallow nervously. He had been hoping to use their spell to get to safety, but if it was true that it could block all magic…

Italy smirked, seeing the apprehension on Sao Tomé's face.

"It seems it's dawned on you," Italy said. "Oh, and one more thing. I'm not merely a _member_ of Requiem. Romano and I are the _leaders._ "

Sao Tomé's eyes widened when he heard that. Hearing that he was confronted with the leader of an organisation that had shown itself to be remorseless...

"W-why am I here?" he asked.

"It's unfair, don't you think?" Italy asked. "You already know more about us than we were hoping for. It's only fair for _us_ to learn more as well."

Information. That was what they wanted. But it wasn't something that Sao Tomé was willing to share. And he had a feeling that they wouldn't use the same approach that Alvora tended to use.

"Let's start with something _very_ simple," Italy said. "Spain, France, Prussia and Portugal. Which of these four nations is a member of Alvora?"

Sao Tomé shook his head. He knew that if he gave the names, then Prussia and Portugal would be Requiem's next targets.

He shuddered when he saw the smile form on Italy's face, before he grabbed the curl on the side of Sao Tomé's head.

"You know, ever since we were young, my fratello and I were trying to figure out what caused the reactions we'd receive from these," Italy said. "And we managed to figure it out. This entire strand has a nerve running through it that's connected to the central nervous system, affecting the entire body. That's also why these strands tend to be thicker. Of course, those with a lock aren't affected the same way as those of us with a single strand. And because it's connected to the central nervous system, the curl can't be pulled out, and cutting it is also a bad idea."

Sao Tomé bit his lip. While he was speaking, Italy was stroking the strand, causing the familiar reactions in Sao Tomé's body.

"This is a spot of considerable pleasure," Italy continued. "But just like with other pleasure spots, it can also bring pain."

To prove his point, Italy bent the strand. Sao Tomé screamed in pain.

"To think that such a simple action could cause such pain," Italy mused. "Now, Prussia, Spain, France or Portugal?"

Sao Tomé whimpered.

"No," he whispered. "I won't…"

He screamed again when Italy started twisting the curl around his finger in the opposite direction.

"Let's try again," Italy said.

"N-no," Sao Tomé whimpered. "I won't…"

Italy yanked the curl upwards, and Sao Tomé screamed.

"I can do this for hours," Italy said. "Can you handle that?"

…

Príncipe watched as the others were pacing, tapping their feet, or in general displaying their unease. Equatorial Guinea was working on a spell that could locate Sao Tomé, but so far he was unsuccessful.

Príncipe suddenly tensed. He felt nauseous, and his chest was constricting. His hand also immediately made its way to his head, and he scratched his scalp, the opposite side from his curl.

"Patrício?" Angola asked. "Are you okay?"

"I… I don't know," Príncipe said. "I just feel… I don't feel so good."

Equatorial Guinea frowned, before approaching him. Príncipe instinctively closed his eyes when Equatorial Guinea placed his hand on his forehead.

And in that moment, he heard Sao Tomé's scream.

He gasped, eyes flying open.

"It's Tiago!" he exclaimed. "They're hurting him!"

Equatorial Guinea's eyes widened, before sitting down next to him.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

Príncipe whimpered, nodding his head.

"He's screaming," he said. "He's in pain. They're hurting him."

"Can you sense anything else?" Equatorial Guinea asked.

Príncipe reached out for the connection he shared with his twin, before shaking his head.

"We'll find him," Equatorial Guinea said. "I promise we'll find him."

"Please," Príncipe whispered. "Please let him be safe."

…

"Well then," Jamaica said, leaning back. "What should I ask first?"

"Maybe we need to find somewhere more private," Haiti suggested. "Unless you want the others to learn about our groups."

Jamaica pursed his lips.

"You have a point," he said. "But don't even think about trying to run away."

Jamaica led Haiti to the attic, and Jamaica sprawled on a nearby couch.

"I think the most basic question first," Jamaica said. "What's your goal?"

Haiti pursed his lips. He didn't want to answer; however, when he thought of the danger Sao Tomé was in, he sighed.

"We want to rewrite the laws that govern nations," Haiti said.

Jamaica raised his eyebrows.

"Come again?" he asked.

"First, that our lives aren't dependent on the fickle desires of humans," Haiti said. "We also desire to break the cycle of suffering. Just because our people treat the people of conquered nations like trash doesn't mean that we need to treat the conquered nation like that."

"Seriously?" Jamaica scoffed. "But it's so much fun."

Haiti narrowed his eyes in disgust, and Jamaica chuckled.

"How noble of you," Jamaica said. "Anything else of note?"

"Like I said, we don't want our lives to be dependent on the fickle desires of humans," Haiti said. "The first thing we did when we started with our plans was to render our human governments useless. Right now, the nations of Alvora are the highest authority in our own countries. The humans follow _us_."

Jamaica widened his eyes.

"That… doesn't sound bad," he said.

"We are the kings and queens of our own lands," Haiti continued.

"A benign monarchy is better than a corrupt democracy. Seeing the effect some political situations had on us… I can see why you would strip it away. And you want to share your success with the other nations as well."

Haiti closed his eyes and nodded his head.

"So then, why Africa?" Jamaica asked. "Why did you annex almost the entire continent?"

"Nations, like humans, are resistant to change," Haiti said. "There are those that were offered the same change, but they weren't interested. If we want to change the world, then sometimes we need to _convince_ others. The ends justify the means."

Jamaica blinked, before he smirked.

"Interesting," he said. "I suppose that's two questions down. Now, who is your leader?"

Haiti pursed his lips. He didn't want to draw any attention to any of their members. Especially not the leader. Seeing Sao Tomé's eyes flash through his mind, he closed his eyes in shame.

"You don't want to answer that one," Jamaica remarked. "Alright then. So, I happened to see your little ritual last night. What _exactly_ were you doing?"

"Protection spell," Haiti said. "I asked the lao to protect the other Caribbean islands. I know that none of them are particularly strong fighters."

"How admirable. But you know that that's not how _they_ would see it? One thing I should probably thank America for: voodoo has a bad reputation. At the very least, the topic makes them uncomfortable. Religious beliefs and all that."

Haiti flinched. He knew that most of the others were Christians, and they weren't exactly comfortable with invoking spirits (but asking the help of angels was _completely_ acceptable). Jamaica had a point. The others wouldn't see anything he did as being for anyone's protection.

The scene with Saint Vincent that morning came to mind. He hated how skittish he was, but if he'd only explained himself… However, he understood that if Jamaica decided to say something about Haiti and Vodou, then they were going to believe Jamaica.

"You know, Kitts saw you last night too," Jamaica said. "He actually looked scared. If he only knew what you were praying for. But he'll never find out."

Haiti glared at Jamaica, who chuckled.

"Four down, sixteen to go," Jamaica said. "Let's see, what's next…?"

…

CAR couldn't believe his eyes. It… It was a dream. It _had_ to be a dream.

He was staring at the Moroccan human, who had just handed him the official paper announcing how much aid Morocco and several other Alvora nations would give him.

Money, education, healthcare, military…

"What's the catch?" CAR asked.

"No catch," the man said. "Miss Morocco and the others only wish for your improved condition."

" _Why_?"

"Because you are a nation who needlessly suffered because of human choices. It breaks their hearts to see someone in your condition."

"And they have approval for this?"

"You don't seem to understand. The government requires _their_ approval."

CAR was silent for a moment.

"So, this is real?" he asked.

"That's right," the man said. "And if you don't see an improvement within the next week, then you can bring it up with Alvora, and the nations will personally handle the situation."

CAR stared at the human, before looking at the paper again. Listing everything that would entail their foreign aid…

"Alright then," he said. "It's not like I have anything to lose, do I?"

…

"Are you sure he's home?" Eritrea asked. "Didn't the others have problems with Sao Tomé?"

Libya glanced towards Eritrea and smiled reassuringly.

"Don't worry about it," he said. "I can sense him. He's here."

It was only a few minutes later when they arrived at the house of the nation that they were looking for. Libya parked the car, before the two of them made their way to the door.

They only had to wait a while after knocking before the door opened. They smirked when they saw the horrified look on their target's face.

"Libya?!" Tunisia demanded. "Eritrea?!"

"Hello, Asim," Libya greeted. "Hope we're not intruding."

Tunisia tried to slam the door shut, but Libya was stronger than him. He threw the door open, and Tunisia decided that it would be in his best interest to try to flee. He managed to make it to the kitchen before he was tackled to the ground by Eritrea.

"Get off of me!" he shouted. "What do you want?"

"Why did you run?" Eritrea asked. "What did you think we would do?"

Tunisia struggled for a while, before he went limp. He turned his attention to Eritrea.

"What did you do to Algeria?" he demanded.

"Don't worry about that," Libya said. "You'll see her soon enough."

…

Italy glared at Sao Tomé, who had passed out a few seconds ago. Italy was holding a piece of Sao Tomé's curl.

He hated to admit it, but the island actually earned his respect. He knew how painful it could be to have one's curl treated with such a lack of respect. And there _was_ the one time they accidentally cut a piece of Italy's curl.

It had been hard to move for three days.

Not only did Sao Tomé suffer through all of that, but he hadn't said anything at all. He couldn't be cracked. He couldn't help but admire Sao Tomé's willpower.

He and the others stepped out of the room, moving towards the living room. Once they settled, Romano turned to him.

"What are we going to do now?" he asked.

"We'll need to wait until he wakes up again," Italy said.

"And next time, I think we should leave the curl alone."

Romano scratched his head, and Italy felt the urge to scratch as well. Torture like that… one couldn't help but share the pain.

"What about _we_ step in next time?" Mexico asked.

Before anyone could answer her, Italy's phone rang. He quickly pulled it out and arched an eyebrow.

"What is it Jamaica?" he asked.

"Are you busy?" Jamaica asked.

"He passed out. Please tell me you have good news."

"Oh yeah. I managed to discover that Haiti is a member of Alvora. And that he and Sao Tomé are together."

Italy blinked. That certainly sounded like information that they could use.

"Anything else?" he asked.

"I played a little game of twenty-questions with him," Jamaica continued. "He didn't answer all of them, but I told him that the more he answered, the less you have to ask his boyfriend."

"Good, good… So, what have you found out?"

"Their goal is to rewrite the laws that govern nations. They don't want to be slaves to humans anymore. They also want to stop the cycle of needless violence among nations."

Italy scoffed.

"Softies," he said. "Though, I have to say I like the idea of rewriting the laws."

"The reason why they took over Africa is because they wanted to impose their will upon the other nations as well."

"And they wanted to identify our members in Africa. Anything else?"

"Haiti used voodoo to cast a protective charm around the other Caribbeans. Unfortunately, I can't do _anything_ about them. I've checked."

"So you won't play with your neighbours anytime soon."

"He wouldn't share any information about the identities of other members. But they also know about what we've done to the regions."

Italy groaned.

"That could be annoying," he said.

"I also know how Canada managed to escape," Jamaica said. "They have a spell that allows them to travel to any of their allies. Each ally has a different command. But they need to bleed in order to get it to work."

"He _shouldn't_ be able to escape from the Interrogation Room. But just in case, we'll be careful about it."

"I also asked him a bit about his recruitment. He said that someone from Alvora noticed his suffering and potential, and took him under his wing before he could go in the wrong direction. _Our_ direction."

"Interesting. Anything else?"

"Yes. He said that if Sao Tomé is killed, then he wouldn't hesitate to return the favour."

Italy chuckled.

"So, he's not above us," he said. "Well, if he's to be believed, then there's a chance that he would have been recruited into _our_ ranks. Where is he now?"

"I… I sent him off," Jamaica admitted. "I told him that he could find Sao Tomé in Europe."

Italy narrowed his eyes.

"Now, why would you do something like that?" he asked.

"I told him that if he answered ten questions, then I would help him narrow down the search," Jamaica said. "But Europe is still a large place. Not as large as Africa or Asia, but he still has a lot of territory to cover."

Italy was thoughtful, before he smirked.

"I think we can use this to our advantage," Italy said. "Keep an eye on the other islands. We don't want any trouble, do we?"

"No, of course not," Jamaica said, and Italy could hear the smirk in his voice. "Haiti is gone, and some of the others noticed him acting strange. All I need to do is give them a little nudge."

"Then get to work," Italy said. "Anything else to report?"

"The members they know about are Mexico, Venezuela, you, the five Africans, Belarus, Philippines, and they suspect Switzerland and Korea."

"Then it looks like we're the ones that need to play with them. Thanks for the information."

Italy hung up the phone, before turning to the others.

"That sounded like an interesting call," Romano said. "Care to share?"

Italy chuckled, before he repeated everything that Jamaica had told him. By the time he was finished, there were smirks all around.

"Interesting," Romano said. "And I think we have a new weapon to use against Sao Tomé."

"The most important thing is to find out who their leader is," Italy said. "But it seems that they're willing to protect him with their lives."

"They're very loyal towards their members," Mexico said. "But let's see if love is more important to them."

"That's exactly what I was thinking."

…

Romania was perusing a world map, a crystal dangling above it. He needed to find Sao Tomé before it was too late.

He noticed a cloud of smoke out of the corner of his eye, and he turned to see Haiti standing there, looking pale.

"They finally reached you," Romania remarked. "Wouldn't you rather want to be as close to your country as possible?"

Their magic was stronger when in, or close to, their own land.

"Jamaica's one of them," Haiti said. "And he knows about me. He said that Tiago is somewhere in Europe."

"And you believed him?" Romania asked.

"I don't want to. But if it can help Tiago… I'm willing to do anything. The ends justify the means."


	22. Chapter 21

**Thanks to Ate Luya and AquaEclipse for reviewing.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 21**

"Are you sure that it's a good idea?" Macau asked. "I mean, confronting Mexico like this? What if she _is_ as dangerous as Texas said?"

"We have numbers on our side," Russia said, smiling cheerfully. "We will see how she reacts to the accusations."

Lithuania winced. He knew that this was _not_ a particularly good idea. He knew what Requiem was capable of. And Mexico had already proven herself against one of Alvora's members.

Then there was Sao Tomé to think of.

Lithuania's phone had been turned off during the flight, and when he turned it on again at the airport he saw that he had a message left on voicemail. And the contents of the message filled him with fear, but he had to maintain a mask of normalcy. Luckily, he was usually nervous around Russia, so the others didn't seem to notice anything amiss. But his poker face still needed some work.

He had to admire Macau in that regard. He managed to keep his emotions under control and hidden from the others. The only indicator that he was disturbed was in the way he looked at Lithuania. That was how Lithuania knew that Macau had also received the news about Sao Tomé.

It was torture, knowing that their allies needed them, but they were on the wrong side of the world, unable to leave and forced to babysit Russia and China.

The only thing that Lithuania was looking forward to was the opportunity to press Mexico for details of Sao Tomé's whereabouts.

"Here we are," Russia announced, his smile falling. "Let's go say hello."

Lithuania looked up at Mexico's house and swallowed nervously. The moment of truth was approaching. With any luck, Mexico would reveal herself as a member of Requiem without revealing Alvora. And she might also reveal the location of Sao Tomé.

But after about a minute of standing in front of the door without a response, Lithuania's hope was beginning to wane.

"Are you looking for the woman who lives there?"

The group turned to see one of the humans standing there, smiling slightly, but Lithuania could see that something was off about the smile.

"Yes," Lithuania said. "Do you know where she might be?"

"She said that she was planning a trip to Europe," the man said. "No idea how long she might be gone. She asked me to take care of her house for her. I live just next door."

"Any idea how long she's going to be away?" China asked.

"I'm sorry."

"That's fine," Macau said. "Thank you for the help."

The man nodded, before returning to his house. Lithuania kept his eyes focused on the man, before looking around. He noticed that the occupants of every car that passed was looking towards them, scrutinising them. And Lithuania knew what bothered him about the man's smile.

He was looking at them as though they were enemies.

He also noticed that the man had spoken English to them. It could have been simply that he acknowledged the fact that they didn't look Mexican, but what if he _knew_.

Alvora had seen that they could manipulate their humans indirectly. What if Requiem could do it as well?

"Well, that's a trip wasted," China huffed. "What are we going to do now?"

"I suppose we should do this the old-fashioned way," Russia said. "We should arrange a meeting with her, as nations."

China sighed.

"You know that, if she _is_ a part of this, she could set up a trap?" China asked.

"That's why I'm going to suggest that the meeting should be at _my_ house," Russia said, smiling slightly. "The Baltics and I can set up a trap."

"How did we get roped into this?" Estonia muttered.

"Actually, I can't do this," Lithuania said. "I received a message from my boss. He wants me to come back as soon as possible. He has an important project that he wants me to work on."

"What project?" Russia asked, glancing at Lithuania suspiciously.

"It's confidential," Lithuania said. "I'm sorry, but I would have told you if I could. But you know how it is. We can't say no to the boss."

"He has a point," Macau said, giving him a meaningful look.

Russia was staring at Lithuania for a moment before he sighed.

"If you really can't do anything about it," Russia said. "Alright then. But you _will_ make up for it later."

"Thank you for understanding," Lithuania said.

"So, now what?" China asked. "We just go home?"

"I think we should stop by France first," Russia said. "We need to share information. And I'd rather not continue to discuss things over the phone."

…

Cambodia awoke in the middle of the night, completely drenched in sweat. He had a horrible nightmare.

A nightmare that was slipping away from him.

He felt really ridiculous now. He was awoken by a nightmare, and now he couldn't even remember it. He leaned back in the bed, and as he closed his eyes, he thought he heard a familiar laugh.

…

"I can't believe you told him all that," Romania said.

Haiti had told all of them about the encounter he had had with Jamaica, and what he had told the other island nation.

"Tiago is in danger," Haiti said. "I would do anything in order to save him. Wouldn't you want to do the same?"

Serbia glanced towards Canada and nodded his head.

"Yes," he said. "I would."

"Like, what _exactly_ did he say they want from Tiago?" Poland asked.

"They want information," Haiti said. "They took Tiago because, as an island, he wouldn't be as strong-willed as the larger nations. But they didn't want it to be too easy. They… They wanted an excuse to 'play' with him."

Haiti clenched his fists, his anger radiating off of him. The others noticed this, but didn't comment.

"If Tiago is in Europe," Romania said, "then we _should_ be able to find him."

Haiti nodded a bit distractedly. Romania noticed this and frowned.

"We'll get him back," Romania said. "I promise."

"There's just something I can't figure out," Haiti said, removing a doll. "I tried to find Tiago, but I can't even get a faint trace. I would know if he's dead, but…"

"Patrício would also be able to tell if he's dead," Serbia said. "I also checked their weather. Sao Tomé had a bad storm a while ago, but it settled into a drizzle."

Haiti grimaced.

"Patrício could sense him, even faintly," Canada mused. "Do you think there's something blocking the magic?"

"What do you mean?" Romania asked.

"What if they put him in a place where magic won't reach him? Or placed something on him that blocks magic?"

Romania and Haiti exchanged a look.

"It's possible," Haiti admitted.

"And it's not _too_ hard to do," Romania said. "Wards, talismans, runes…"

"Do you think we should look in areas where our magic can't reach?" Haiti asked.

"…It's going to take a while," Romania said. "We'll need to pick a central point and push outwards with our magic. The farther away it is, the more exhausting it would be."

"And what if we just use our magic to focus on the nations?"

"…It could work. We should find where there are large concentrations of nations first."

"Problem," Poland said. "Like, everyone is worried about what's happening, so everyone branched off into groups."

"But we can still see what they're doing," Romania said, smirking.

"And you'll be able to see if they're with Tiago or not," Serbia added.

"And if they _have_ a magic-free area, then we'll be able to sense that as well."

"Let's get to work immediately," Haiti said.

"Before that," Serbia said, "Agewe, there's something I've been wondering. When you found out about Jamaica… I would have expected you to beat him to a pulp. I know I would have if Matthew was in danger again. So… why didn't you?"

Haiti stared at him for a while before he sighed.

"Jamaica had the upper hand in one way," Haiti said. "The others are nervous about my Vodou. Saint Kitts saw me perform a protection ritual and apparently misinterpreted it, and Saint Vincent was also uncomfortable with the idea of me even praying. If any of them walked in and saw me fighting Jamaica, then they would believe that _I'm_ the guilty party and that Jamaica is innocent. No matter how much I explain."

"I see," Serbia sighed. "It would make them mistrust you, and Jamaica would be able to manipulate them however he wants."

"But what's going to happen now that you've left?" Canada asked. "I mean, Jamaica would just manipulate them by lying about the reason why you left."

"I managed to find Barbados," Haiti explained. "I told him that I needed to leave because my personal house was burned down."

"Like, that's actually pretty good," Poland said. "Like, if it was your boss, then they would offer to negotiate. But if it's personal property…"

"They knew that you'd want to handle things personally," Canada finished, smiling.

"And I can focus all my attention on finding Tiago," Haiti said. "Which we should be doing right now."

…

Comoros finished dinner, and she sighed in relief. The following day she, Mauritius and Seychelles would be meeting up. As islands, they needed to stick together.

Comoros thought back to the reveal that Apartheid was planned. She was happy to learn that the South Africans' relationship was better than they had pretended all these years, but it would have been nice if they didn't make her worry about it! She was supposed to be a friend to them. Especially White.

For years, she had lived with the knowledge that she was being used by White South Africa to prove that she could have good relations with a fellow African nation. That she wasn't as racist as people assumed. And one day, Comoros realised that she _wasn't_.

White had been hurt when she learned that Comoros assumed the worst of her, and made it clear that she wasn't her government. She was her own person, and that their opinions didn't affect her. It still filled Comoros with shame.

When she learned that Apartheid was planned between the two, she felt fury, but fear made her sign the contract. And then…

She was outside the room when Black explained the situation to Lesotho. And Comoros was filled with shame yet again when she heard that the reason why that era was born was because they wanted to keep Black alive.

She had been wrong on multiple occasions. Alvora and Requiem… She thought she knew those nations, but she had been wrong. Those nations were better and worse than she had thought. She felt like a fool for being deceived by her own perceptions. Because even before the African meeting, she had seen that what she thought of certain nations was incorrect.

She would stay out of their way, but help when necessary. She didn't exactly know what they were planning, but they couldn't be worse than Requiem.

Comoros shuddered when she thought back to the meeting. The cold expression on Egypt and the others' faces… And Alvora's rage when they saw what they were doing. The way they could just attack a nation's capital like it was nothing…

That also scared her. The way they could just call an attack at the touch of a button, and the speed with which it elicited a reaction made her worry that the bombs were already in their countries. Did that mean that they had bombs in _every_ country?

She needed to remember to get her people to look into it the next day as well.

…

"Alright," France said, before he hung up the phone.

"Problems?" Prussia asked.

"It was China. He wishes to discuss something with me. Apparently they managed to learn a lot, but he doesn't want to share his knowledge over the phone."

"Makes one wonder what it is," Spain said.

Prussia pursed his lips. He knew what it was. China and Russia had gained knowledge about Requiem. And if he wasn't careful, then they would learn about Alvora as well, and they would place the two organisations in the same category.

They wanted to avoid that.

Moreover, Lithuania had informed him that he wouldn't be staying. He would aid in the search for Sao Tomé. And Macau had claimed that Portugal wanted him to be nearby as well.

Portugal had already left. He had told the others about Sao Tomé being missing, and that he was going to Príncipe to see if he could help his former colony. It wasn't exactly a lie, but it wasn't the whole truth either. So while they were driving back to France, Portugal had chosen to take a train to what he claimed was the airport, but Prussia knew that he was going to Romania.

"Are you alright, mon ami?" France asked, suddenly turning to Prussia.

"Huh?" Prussia asked. "What makes you ask that? I'm my usual, awesome self."

"I wouldn't say that," Spain said. "You seem… quiet. It's not like you."

Prussia sighed.

"Can you blame me?" he asked. "My little brother is dead. Just like all the others."

"You don't know that," Spain said. "They weren't found. They might still be alive somewhere."

"I highly doubt that. We don't usually leave bodies behind, remember?"

France winced.

"I… You're right," France said. "Je suis désolé, mon ami."

Prussia shrugged.

"As long as I can find the bastards responsible for this, I'll be fine," he said.

…

Wales was lying on his bed with his eyes closed. Anyone that came in would assume that he was sleeping, but that wasn't the case. He was reaching out with his mind, trying to find Sao Tomé.

Romania had texted him with the idea. They needed to find two things. They needed to find out where they could find large concentrations of nations, and hopefully they would be able to find Sao Tomé. They also needed to see if there was anywhere that was blocked with magic, against magic. Wales was trying to see if there were suspicious areas in the UK, but… Well, it was a bit tricky. His brothers had a few wards placed in choice locations, and he came up with a lot of places where he couldn't reach out with his magic. Luckily, he already knew about those locations.

Except one, apparently.

Wales frowned. He had just stumbled on an area in Ireland that he didn't know about, and that his magic couldn't penetrate. He probed around for a while longer, before seeing traces of magic that didn't belong to any of the British brothers.

Wales's eyes snapped open and he gasped for breath. It was like suddenly being pulled to the surface after being submerged underwater. And then there was the realisation of the implications to think about.

Ireland had traces of magic in his country that didn't belong to him. It was an area that was completely sealed.

In other words, it was suspicious.

This was what he was hoping not to find. He didn't want to admit that one of his brothers might have been a member of Requiem. But in hindsight, that made sense. No one else would have been able to get to England as easily as one of them. They wouldn't even have to try to hide their presence.

And no one else would have been able to slip a potion in England's tea.

Even with those that he would share a cup with, England would have _never_ allowed a guest to prepare the tea in his place. Unless the guest was one of his brothers who was offering.

Wales looked towards the window. It was already night, but not late enough for anyone to be asleep yet. Not in their house, at least. He could get away with a nap, but not true sleep yet. This made it tricky, as he would need to sneak away to Ireland to check the suspicious area. And if Ireland noticed that he was gone, he might have been able to put two and two together.

Wales would wait a few more hours before he did anything else.

…

Sao Tomé opened his eyes, feeling sick to his stomach. He was still tied in an uncomfortable position, which didn't make the situation better.

He was thankfully alone, and sighing in relief, he started to examine the area again. He also tested the bonds, feeling dismayed that they were cuffs instead of ropes. If they had been ropes, then he would have been able to work the knots loose. It wasn't the case with cuffs, and without anything to pick the lock, he was defenceless.

Well, there was always the option of breaking the cuffs.

Alvora had found a way to increase their individual strengths, and when needed, they were capable of great feats of strength.

Just… not now.

Whatever these cuffs were made of, Sao Tomé couldn't break them. Even with additional strength, he was trapped.

…

Príncipe automatically brought his hand to his mouth, feeling suddenly nauseous. He hoped that it didn't mean that something was happening to Sao Tomé.

Equatorial Guinea seemed to notice his sudden discomfort, for he came over towards him.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

" _I_ am," Príncipe said. "I'm just not sure about Tiago."

He started scratching his wrists, before Equatorial Guinea grabbed them, scrutinising them.

"This doesn't look good," he mused.

Príncipe's eyes widened when he saw how red they were becoming. But it didn't look as though they were becoming that way due to his scratching. It looked more like… Like he chafed them from struggling against something. Like ropes or cuffs.

"Tiago…" Príncipe muttered.

Equatorial Guinea stared at the wrists and frowned.

"I wonder…" he mused. "You have a connection to Tiago. Maybe we can use it."

"As long as it can be used to find my brother," Príncipe said, "I'll do anything."


	23. Chapter 22

**Thanks to AquaEclipse for reviewing.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 22**

Equatorial Guinea and Príncipe were sitting across from each other at a dining room table. Some of the other nations of Alvora were standing nearby, watching over the two. The non-Alvora nations were staying away, knowing that they had no right to be nearby.

Príncipe's hands were held palm-up by Equatorial Guinea, and both of them had their eyes closed. Each of Príncipe's palms had a cut, and they were using his blood to channel Sao Tomé.

Or trying to.

"This isn't working," Príncipe sighed, opening his eyes.

Equatorial Guinea pursed his lips.

"Vlad called a while ago," he said. "They think that Tiago might be placed in a magic-proof room. If we can't use the twin-nation connection to find him… I mean, it's a different type of magic, and works with different laws, but I still can't use it."

"I at least know that he's alive," Príncipe said. "And he's in pain, but isn't currently being hurt."

"How reliable _is_ magic, anyway?" Ghana asked.

"It's usually very reliable," Morocco said. "We have nations that practice different types, so we're able to cover all the bases. But the fact that none of those types are working is worrisome."

"So, how many types of magic are there?" Kenya asked.

"Dozens," Equatorial Guinea said. "There are different branches, and then each branch also has more branches. But if Tiago was taken to a place that can block magic…"

"Would it block a specific type of magic?" Benin asked.

Equatorial Guinea was silent for a moment.

"In order to make a place magic-proof, you need to use magic," he said. "The type of magic you use will be the one that's blocked, as well as all its variations. If you combine different types of magic, then almost all of them would be blocked, as the protection would be able to work with different patterns, and would be able to figure out the patterns of other types. The only branch of magic that would potentially be able to break through is dream magic, unless that one was specifically used to cover it."

"Dream magic?" Black repeated. "Isn't that the type of magic that Sammy practices?"

"You know, I think you're right," Mozambique said.

Equatorial Guinea's eyes widened, before he forced himself to his feet.

"Caio?" Guinea Bissau asked. "Is everything alright?"

"I just need to have a word with Botswana," Equatorial Guinea said, before he left the room and several confused nations.

…

Spain yawned, before he turned to France.

"Amigo, we've been driving for hours, and it's getting late," he said. "Can't we stop for the night?"

"The others are coming to Paris," France said. "We need to be there to greet them."

"They wouldn't mind so much if they have to wait a few hours, right?"

"Antonio…"

They had to drive from Florence to Paris, which easily took twelve hours. They had started in the late afternoon, around five o'clock. It was currently ten o'clock.

"We can last a few more hours," Prussia said.

"Not really," France said. "We've been on the road for a long time. I'm afraid that we couldn't handle that much more. But we _should_ be able to last for two more hours. Once we reach Lyon, we can rest in my house there."

"Fine," Prussia sighed.

…

Ecuador was lying on his bed, his thoughts racing. He couldn't help the sinking sensation he felt in his gut, and he was too afraid to go out right now. And then there was Peru to think about. He had no idea what his brother was up to, and it scared him.

"Is everything okay?"

He turned to the door, seeing Angola standing there. He averted his eyes.

"I'm afraid of facing Patrício right now," he said.

"Why?" she asked, stepping closer.

"Because… My brother is part of the organisation that took _his_ brother."

"It's not something that you should…"

"But it _is_!" he snapped. "I should have realised that Diego… My own brother. How could I be so _blind_? And now… We saw how Patrício reacted. He _knew_ that Tiago was being hurt. And if Diego is part of that…"

He had sat up as he spoke, and Angola sat down next to him, pulling his head into her chest. He sobbed as the first tears escaped.

"I couldn't see what was right in front of me," Ecuador lamented. "And now…"

"They fooled us all," Angola said gently. "I mean, did any of us really expect _Italy_ to be a part of that group? Don't blame yourself. Patrício doesn't. And besides, Diego isn't one of the nations that took Tiago."

"But he might be one of the nations torturing him."

" _Might_. You don't know that for sure. So there's no reason for you to torture yourself. Just like we have nothing to do with what our people have been doing, you have nothing to do with your brother's involvement in Requiem. So please, stop crying."

It took several minutes before Ecuador was calm enough to do that for her, but she stayed and comforted him all the while.

…

Botswana was getting ready for bed, feeling a bit guilty. He could see how concerned the nations of Alvora were for Sao Tomé, and after seeing what Requiem was capable of, he didn't blame them. Was it really necessary for them to shoot the two brothers, especially if they only took one? But that wasn't the worst they've done.

Lesotho had been pretty shaken by the encounter, and Botswana had tried to comfort him. It wasn't just the fact that he'd seen Sao Tomé and Príncipe's attack, but also because he still remembered the attack on himself. For a nation as young and as small as Lesotho, having the capital attacked did a _lot_ of damage.

He jumped slightly when there was a knock on the door, and he rushed to open it, glad that he had finished getting dressed. He was surprised to see Equatorial Guinea standing there.

"Can I help you?" Botswana asked.

"You practice dream magic, right?" Equatorial Guinea asked.

"Yeah, I guess. Astral projection, mostly."

"Can it be used to find Sao Tomé?"

Botswana frowned, thinking it over.

"I might be able to," he said. "But I need something to channel him. Something personal."

Equatorial Guinea bit his lip.

"Would having his twin help?" he asked.

Botswana thought about it, before he nodded.

"It _should_ work," he said. "And if not… Well, in the astral realm, I can find something else that might lead us to him. But I would need Príncipe to accompany me."

Equatorial Guinea frowned.

"Fine," he said. "As long as we can find him."

…

Portugal walked out of the shower, checking his wrist to see that the cut was already healed. He had managed to convince Spain and France to take him to the train station in order to get to the airport, though he had to reveal the fact that Sao Tomé had been kidnapped. They wanted to go with him, but he managed to convince them that it was his concern and not theirs.

He had then gone to the bathroom, and once he was sure that he was alone, he made a cut on his wrist in order to get to Romania.

It was unclear who was more stressed about the situation, Portugal or Haiti. Eventually Romania had sent Portugal to get a shower in order to relax, while Haiti was given some chamomile tea.

Portugal glanced at his reflection, his hair undone from its usual ponytail. This brought a smile to his face. In the early days, when he was still trying to convince Sao Tomé and Príncipe that he wasn't a scary nation to be around, he would always wear his hair down. The texture would resemble their own, and they learned to trust him. Eventually he started wearing it in a ponytail again, explaining that it was a lot cooler that way. He always hated how hot it could be whenever his hair was down, and he couldn't cut it lest he looked even more like Spain than he already did.

Thinking about his brother brought a new wave of thoughts. The documents he had found in Italy's home revealed that Requiem intended to kill Spain. He wasn't the only one, but Italy had gone to great lengths in listing the reasons why they wanted him dead. And it wasn't just that. They intended to punish him. To _torture_ him.

Philippines, Mexico, Peru, Chile, Argentina and Venezuela. All of them were once members of Spain's empire. And Ecuador and Colombia had told him when they were young that Spain scared them. And Portugal himself knew that Spain had been oblivious to the feelings of those around him. He hadn't taken the time to ease their worries. He hadn't taken the time to soothe them.

That was actually one of the reasons why Portugal had decided that Spain wouldn't be a good member of Alvora.

Spain wasn't a bad guy, he knew, but his obliviousness tended to hurt those around him. Portugal could think of a number of times when he had been frustrated by Spain. It also made the situation with France both entertaining and infuriating.

It was obvious that they were both in love with each other, so why wouldn't they make it official already?!

Portugal shook his head. Prussia wanted to come along to help with the search for Sao Tomé, but Portugal convinced him that it would be better to stay close to Spain. Considering how many of Requiem's members had a grudge against him, they needed to make sure that he was protected.

This wasn't how it was supposed to go. They were supposed to go to each nation individually, show them what they had done, and convinced them to do so as well. Requiem was completely unanticipated.

As soon as they rescued Sao Tomé, they would need to go through everything they knew about every nation and analyse everything again.

…

Albania made his way to the Interrogation Room. He had been told that he would be next in torturing Sao Tomé, and he was looking forward to playing with the island nation.

He opened the door, and was a bit disappointed to see that Sao Tomé was still slumped in the chair, breathing slowly. So, he was still unconscious. Albania wouldn't be able to play with him like this.

Disappointed, he shut the door again, and he made his way to the study, where Italy was lounging.

"He's still unconscious," Albania announced.

"That's disappointing," Italy said. "But it _is_ getting late anyway. Why don't you play with him when you've rested?"

Albania smirked.

"And I can spend the night dreaming of different ways to torture him," he said. "I like that idea."

…

Sao Tomé waited for a while longer before he lifted his head, sighing in relief. Whoever had come had left, believing him to be unconscious. He managed to delay the inevitable, at least for a few more hours.

His body was still pulsing from pain after the torture session earlier, and there was a piercing pain around the area where his curl was. He also remembered that Italy had managed to break off a piece of the curl. He wondered what the impact would be on his body.

He knew that he couldn't escape. His only hope was that the others would be able to find and rescue him. And in the meantime, if possible, he would have to find a way to delay the inevitable. Such as now.

The next time one of them came, he doubted that they would believe that he was unconscious. And he would have to endure whatever they decided to do to him.

…

Jamaica was drumming his fingers a bit impatiently. The others were busy with dinner, which was a loud affair, so they didn't notice.

He had been hoping to spin a lie that would turn the others against Haiti, but unfortunately, it would seem that he had run into Barbados, and the latter had told the others about what had happened, or what Haiti had told him had happened. He also said that Haiti looked frantic.

His personal home being caught in a fire. That was definitely something that the others would consider to be a priority, and considering everything that was happening…

He wondered who was going to check in on Haiti later to ensure that everything was fine. Probably Dominican Republic, considering the fact that they were neighbours.

Jamaica was also thinking about things that he could do to Haiti, now that they knew about his true allegiance. He could always hurt one of the Caribbean nations, but he had already checked and saw that Haiti had indeed cast a protective charm over them. Jamaica couldn't touch them. But unless Haiti performed another spell, this one would wear off within a week. And Jamaica could play with his fellow islands.

In the meantime, what could he do?

He stopped drumming his fingers when a thought struck him. Haiti had said that his personal home had been caught in a fire. Perhaps he should help him, so that Haiti's lie would no longer be a lie.

Jamaica grinned, which also went unnoticed by the others. He would wait until everyone was asleep, and then he would get to work.

…

Macedonia was on her way to her bedroom after having gone for a glass of water when she paused. There was a light still on. The room belonged to Kosovo.

She frowned, making her way towards the room. She could see Kosovo sitting on his bed, staring at his phone.

"Hey," she said, making him jump in surprise. "You should get to sleep."

"O-oh…" Kosovo said. "I… I'm sorry."

He placed the phone on the table, and she cocked her head to the side.

"What are you doing?" Macedonia asked.

"It's nothing!" he said hastily. "Sorry to worry you. Um, goodnight."

She stayed there for a while, watching him climb under the covers. She sighed.

"Goodnight," she said softly.

…

Wales listened carefully. He couldn't hear any movement in the house, and poking his head out of his door showed that all the lights were out. He sighed in relief, before thinking about his destination. He needed to see what was going on there. He had a horrible sense of foreboding. That he would find something terrible there.

Channelling his magic, he felt the familiar floating sensation that indicated that he was teleporting, and soon the scenery around him changed.

He was standing in front of a black door, which seemed to be built into a hill. There was nothing surrounding the area. No human settlements, which meant no unwanted intruders. Wales reached out a hand, only to immediately retract it.

There was a shield placed on the door. A magical lock. But he recognised the magic as Ireland's, and so it was easy for him to break through it without alerting Ireland of the intrusion. Once that was done, he threw the door open.

There was nothing in the room, save for a trapdoor fixed with a padlock. He used his magic to open the lock, and the trapdoor sprung open. Taking a deep breath, he started to descend.

He was startled when he heard a sudden scream of pain, and he hastened his steps. There was someone inside, and she – for the scream was definitely female – was in pain.

But he wasn't quite prepared for what he found at the bottom.

There were cages along the walls, some of them stacked on top of the other. And inside the cages were young figures. They could barely be called teenagers.

One of the girls lifted her head and frowned.

"Cymru?" she croaked.

He turned his attention to her, and there was something familiar about her. Her eyes were a dull green, and she had a small birthmark on her cheek. It was upon seeing the feather-like birthmark that he realised who she was.

"Adain," he whispered.

He then realised that he could vaguely recognise the others as well. They were some of the British counties. Scottish, English and Welsh. Some current, others previous.

"Where are the others?" he asked.

Merionethshire shook her head. He realised what it meant. That the others were all dead.

"I'll get you out of here," he said.

"You can't," Surrey said. "Magic won't work on them. We've tried."

Wales frowned, heading towards the nearest cage. Bute shrank back in the cage. He also kept watching Wales with his dull eyes.

He picked up the lock, and he realised that it was indeed locked magically, and that the spell wasn't exactly simple. He could also tell that it wasn't entirely Ireland's magic. Unlocking this would be no simple feat.

He jumped when there was another scream, and his head darted around for the source.

"We get a sudden jolt of pain every once in a while," Merionethshire explained. "Who it affects and how often it affects us is completely random. It's draining our magic and life force."

"What?" Wales whispered, horrified.

He looked at the lock before him again, and scowled. There would be no methodical way of doing this. He needed to get them out as soon as possible, regardless of the effects it would have on him. He brought his wrist to his mouth and bit hard into it.

Knowing many magical nations meant that they exchanged information, and that they experimented with other forms of magic. Combining the different forms, however, wasn't always the best option, as it tended to mess with your own spirit. But Wales didn't care at the moment. He just needed to get them out of there.

He muttered words in Old Celt, and he knew that he had all of the counties' attentions. Seeing his goal ahead of him, he unleashed as much power as possible.

Once the magical energy settled down, he leaned against the nearest cage, and blearily opened his eyes. He smiled.

The cage was unlocked.


	24. Chapter 23

**Thanks to Eternal Nexus Warrior and AquaEclipse for reviewing.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 23**

Quebec took a tray filled with drinks towards his guests. He still had to tell Minnesota and Texas about Alvora, but he had no doubt that they would be willing to help when they heard that they were enemies of Requiem. Especially Texas wouldn't mind being part of a group that wanted to stop Requiem.

He bit his lip. He still couldn't believe that any nation could do that to their own state. The poor girl was completely traumatised, and he didn't blame her. If he had suffered through the things that she did…

Just as he entered the living room, there was a sudden explosion of light. The three Americans cried out in shock and scrambled to get to him. He frowned. This looked like teleportation, but it seemed to be too large. Could it be multiple people?

The light died down, and Quebec found that he was right in his assumption. There were sixteen people. One he immediately recognised.

"Will!" he exclaimed, handing the tray to Alaska and rushing towards Wales, who immediately fell to his knees.

Wales was panting in exhaustion, and his face was pale. Still, he looked up at Quebec and smiled shakily.

"I found them," he said. "Some of them. Those that remained."

"What are you talking about?" Quebec asked.

"They're the counties of Great Britain."

Quebec's eyes widened, and he looked around at the others. He could now see that they were a lot younger – some looked even younger than he did – and none of them seemed to be comfortable with standing, for they were either sitting on the floor or leaning against the wall. Their faces were a bit grimy, and underneath it he could see that they were pale. And they were all watching him with dull eyes.

"Requiem," Texas said, stepping closer.

They all shuddered, and they turned their attentions to Texas.

"What do _you_ know about it?" one of the girls asked.

"I was in the same position as you once," Texas said. "Only, I managed to escape. And so did you! You're free. You don't have to deal with them again."

It was as though the realisation that they were free slowly dawned on them. There was a sparkle in their eyes, and some of them even dared a small smile.

Quebec turned back to Wales, who looked as though he was about to pass out. How much magic did he spend in order to get them back there?

"You said that they were the counties of Great Britain," he said. "Which country?"

"Scotland, England, and mine," Wales said.

Quebec gasped, and he looked at them all again. He knew that England alone had about 48 counties… there were only fifteen of them there.

"What happened to the rest?" he asked, dreading the answer.

"Dead," Wales said. "They were in cages. Some of those cages had… remains."

Quebec felt sick to his stomach, and he looked at the counties again. They were regions, just like him. To think that it might have happened to _him_ as well…

He was grateful to have Canada as his nation. And he knew that he needed to tend to his unexpected guests.

"Are you hungry?" Quebec asked, looking around at the counties.

"They would only be fed every once in a while," Texas said. "And it would be little more than scraps."

Quebec flinched.

"I'll make you some broth," he said. "It should make things easier on you. Will, do you want to rest?"

"Rest sounds nice," Wales said.

Quebec helped Wales to the nearest sofa, and he turned to the three American states.

"I think you should give them a bath while I'm working on the broth," he said. "I know they'd feel better if they're a bit cleaner."

"And what are we going to do about clothes?" Alaska asked.

"Have fun in my closet."

He gave the counties one last look before he made his way back to the kitchen. But at the living room's threshold he was suddenly grabbed by Texas.

"There's just one thing that bothers me," she said. "How are you on a first-name basis with Wales?"

He stared at her for a moment before he sighed.

"I'll explain that later," he said. "For now, we need to help them."

Texas narrowed her eyes, but she released his arm and allowed him to go to the kitchen. He knew that he should probably have told her sooner.

…

Estonia woke up in the middle of the flight. They were on a private plane heading to France, and everyone else seemed to still be asleep.

The Baltic couldn't help but look towards Lithuania. It was strange. Lithuania seemed to be a lot braver lately, and he didn't let himself be cowed by Russia. He also stood his ground and made suggestions.

There was something… _off_ about Lithuania. Estonia just couldn't put his finger on it.

And he definitely saw something off at the airport. Lithuania kept looking around, surveying the area like a soldier expecting an ambush.

And then there was the news from Texas.

Estonia knew that Lithuania had tried to breathe life into his counties, but without success. After what Texas told them, could it be that Lithuania came to the conclusion that _that_ was what happened to the counties? That they had been murdered, or were being kept somewhere and experimented on?

If that was all that bothered Lithuania, then Estonia couldn't exactly blame him. He could only imagine how afraid he would be if something like that happened to regions of his. Not that they had anyone to represent them.

After being an underling for so long, Estonia wasn't willing to give away what little power he had gained. Even if it meant lightening the workload, or having people that he could genuinely call family.

His thoughts then drifted towards Finland and the Nordics. He wondered if he could join them, once they returned to Europe. He was sure that the Nordics would be able to fight off any threat that came their way.

Still, the idea of Requiem frightened him. To think that an organisation of nations existed that wanted to cause so much destruction. That already killed four nations that they knew of. And he had already checked. There was nothing in their countries that indicated that they were preparing for war. Nothing that suggested unrest. It was as though they were completely acting on their own. If that was the case, just how strong could they be?

Estonia hoped to never find out.

…

Príncipe examined his hands before he looked up to see his unconscious body. Botswana had suggested that they lie on something comfortable. And that they held hands for the process to work, something that Equatorial Guinea was _not_ happy with.

"Are you ready to go?" Botswana asked.

"S-sim," Príncipe said. "So, how does this work?"

"Just think about your target. We should find him soon."

Príncipe nodded, thinking about his brother. He felt a tug near his navel, and the world flashed by in a carnival of colours. Eventually it settled.

"That can't be right…" Botswana muttered.

Príncipe shook his head and looked up. He swallowed nervously when he saw that they were in Sao Tomé.

"What happened?" Príncipe asked. "We're supposed to be with Tiago, not in his land."

"…They must have someone else who's proficient with astral projection," Botswana mused. "But the only other nation that fulfils that requirement is Jamaica."

"We found out that Jamaica is one of them earlier today."

"…This complicates things. Which way is his house?"

"Why?"

"Plan B."

Príncipe led the way, and soon they arrived at Sao Tomé's front door. It was odd to simply be able to go through the door, and Príncipe wanted to linger, if only they didn't have urgent business to deal with.

"Where's his bedroom?" Botswana asked.

"This way," Príncipe muttered, leading the way.

Once they arrived at Sao Tomé's bedroom, Botswana took Príncipe's hand and placed his other hand on the pillow.

Images flashed through Príncipe's mind, and he flinched at some of them. It was as though he was seeing everything that had happened to Sao Tomé since the last time he left his bed.

Finally, everything stopped. Príncipe blinked a few times before his gaze settled on an unfamiliar door.

"Where are we?" he asked.

"This is where Sao Tomé's journey led him," Botswana said. "He's on the other side of the door."

Príncipe's eyes widened, and he tried to reach out to the door, only to receive a shock. He cried out in pain as he was pushed back.

"That's probably the anti-magic shield," Botswana mused.

"You could have told me _before_ I was electrocuted," Príncipe said.

"You guys were the ones that discussed this. Looks like they had Jamaica add another protective layer. One thing I have to say about these guys is that they're prepared."

Príncipe glared at Botswana for a few more seconds before turning his attention back to the door.

"So, what are we going to do now?" Príncipe asked. "We still don't know where we are."

"Astral projection can be used to learn that information," Botswana said. "I know we're somewhere in Greece, but the actual location…"

Príncipe felt his eyes widen.

"Greece?" he asked. "He's part of this too?"

"Unless they decided to use his country without his knowledge," Botswana said, "I think that's definitely the case."

Príncipe shuddered.

"It might take a while for me to get the exact location," Botswana said. "Why don't you look around? If anything, it might be good recon for you."

Príncipe stared at Botswana for a moment before he sighed, deciding that it would be good to get the layout of the place. And so he started to wander off.

He managed to find a large kitchen, a living room, the bathroom, and there was a study. He saw a world map against the wall, with various pins and tacks. He wandered closer, seeing blue, red, yellow and black. He focused on some of the blue, trying to find the pattern. He focused on Africa first, which had the largest number of pins. Egypt, Somalia, Ethiopia, Libya and Eritrea were all blue.

He gasped when he realised that the blue pins represented the nations of Requiem. So he focused on memorising all of the blue pins, and if he had a physical body at that moment, then he knew that he would have grown pale when he saw some of the nations involved.

He then turned his attention to the red pins, and it didn't take too long to figure out which nations they were meant to represent. The red pins were all members of Alvora.

Next, he focused on yellow, which didn't have too many nations. The captured Africans were among them, and some of the other nations, like Lesotho. He wondered if the yellow pins represented the neutral nations.

Finally, he turned his attention to the black. Only four black pins could be seen: America, England, Germany and Japan. All of the dead nations.

Deeming this information useful, Príncipe glanced at the map one last time, making sure that he memorised Requiem's members before he returned to where Botswana was, who held out his hand a few centimetres in front of the door.

"Any luck?" Príncipe asked.

"Yes," Botswana said. "I know where we are. Did you find anything useful?"

Príncipe nodded his head.

"I think I have the layout of the ground floor," he said.

"What about nations that are here?" Botswana asked.

"No, I didn't see anyone. And I'm afraid of having _them_ see _us_."

"That won't happen. Not in the astral realm. Not even Jamaica would be able to see us now, unless he's astral projecting as well."

"Oh. Good to know. But… Well, this isn't your problem. Why do you want to make sure that I have enough information?"

Botswana was silent for a moment.

"I'm not sure," he said. "But… I guess I admire your camaraderie."

Príncipe smiled. Botswana held out his hand.

"Let's go back now," he said.

…

Texas looked positively furious, and Minnesota glanced between Quebec and Wales. The British counties looked indifferent, and Alaska was nervous as well.

"So," Texas said coldly, "you're telling me that you're part of a group that's _just like_ _Requiem_?!"

"Not 'just like' them," Wales said. "The only thing we actually have in common with them is that we've been operating in secret."

"And that's exactly why I can't trust any of you!"

"Please," Quebec said. "We're _not_ like them. Alvora… Canada never hurt any of us. And the other nations are also incredibly nice to us."

"We were worried about our regions disappearing," Wales said. "The Canadian provinces we made sure to protect as much as possible, but there are many that disappeared from under our noses. Lithuania actively tried to manifest his counties, but they never did. Or, if they did, then Requiem found them before he did."

Texas huffed in fury, remembering that Lithuania was one of the nations that she had told about her experience. Minnesota raised his hand timidly.

"If it's all the same," he said, "I saw that Lithuania looked furious when you mentioned the regions. So… I think they're legit."

"They could have just…" Texas started.

"If they were just like Requiem," Sutherland said, "then they wouldn't be telling us about this. They would just lull us in a false sense of security, and before we realise it, we're prisoners again."

Texas calmed down a little when she heard that. The British counties had been prisoners of Requiem far longer than she had been, and they had suffered more horrors. They had more reason to be upset with Requiem than she had, and if they didn't have a problem with this other group – Alvora – then she shouldn't be so hasty with them.

"Requiem has captured one of our own members," Wales said. "An island, smaller than the state of Texas. Sao Tomé. His twin is able to sense some of the things that's happening to him, and it's destroying him to see his brother go through that."

Texas bit her lip. She knew that Wales was trying to get her to see that they had reason to hate Requiem as well. And while she wanted to believe that he was lying about someone being in danger, she knew that Quebec had been worried for several hours now. At first she thought that he was worried about Canada being sick, but if one of them had been captured…

Wales looked towards his watch and groaned.

"Olivier, I have to leave you," Wales said. "Sorry about that. But I need to get back before Patrick wakes up and he realises that something is wrong."

That was something else that struck Texas as odd: Wales called Quebec by his human name. And Quebec did the same for Wales. As far as she knew, nations did not call regions of other nations by their human names, and regions didn't call a nation by their human name unless the nation was their own. And some of the states didn't even call America by his human name.

At the mention of Ireland, the counties grew tense. The three Welsh counties rushed towards Wales, whose eyes widened but who still wrapped them in a hug.

"Don't!" Merionethshire exclaimed. "He's dangerous. Don't go near him."

"We saw him kill the others," Gwynedd continued. We don't want that to happen to you too."

"Please!" Wrexham begged. "He's pure evil. He'll kill you."

Wales hugged them tighter.

"I have no doubt that he'll try," he said. "Just like he killed Arthur."

When they heard that England was dead, the English counties reacted with horror.

"W-what?" Essex asked. "Arthur is…?"

Wales flinched.

"I'm sorry you had to hear it from me," he said.

Texas was amazed how they were still worried about Wales, even after hearing that he was part of a group that was a lot like their captors. She herself was still a bit doubtful that this Alvora could be better.

"I'm sorry," Wales said, pulling away. "But I need to go. If he realises that I'm gone, and if he realises that someone tampered with his spells, then he might hurt Finn and Alistair. I need to be there to protect them."

The Scottish counties looked relieved to hear that, and they smiled at Wales. Wales turned to Quebec.

"Take good care of them," he said. "The last thing we want is for Requiem to get them again."

"Oui," Quebec said, glancing at the other regions. "I will protect them with all my abilities."

Wales nodded, satisfied, and then he turned to Texas.

"I hope that you can come to trust us," he said.

Texas blinked in surprise, and Wales stepped back further. In an instant, he was gone.

"Well then," Quebec said, turning to the new arrivals. "Some of you still need baths, if I'm not mistaken. And then afterwards, I think we should all get some sleep. You must really be tired."

Some of the British counties nodded, but Texas narrowed her eyes.

"Do you even have enough room for everyone?" she asked.

"We spent decades in cages," Caithness said. "Even the floor would be comfortable now."

Texas flinched. It was true. Compared to what they've been through, they probably wouldn't mind the lack of beds. And they would seek comfort, so sharing a bed with someone was not out of the question either. Even if they _were_ British.

"There would be no need for that," Quebec said. "Sometimes, all my siblings would come to my house. Okay, so some of you would have to share, but considering how cold my nights can become, I suppose that it would be welcome, non?"

"I suppose so," Bute said. "Thank you. For everything."

The others all nodded their agreement, and Texas sighed. She would need to watch and see if they could be trusted, so for now, she wouldn't be letting her guard down.


	25. Chapter 24

**Thanks to Scarllett83, AquaEclipse and Eternal Nexus Warrior for reviewing.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 24**

Equatorial Guinea was pacing nervously, looking at Botswana and Príncipe. He did _not_ feel comfortable with having them link hands while they were unconscious.

"You need to relax," Guinea Bissau said. "You're not going to get them here faster by pacing a hole in the floor."

"What's taking so long?" Equatorial Guinea asked. "They should have been here by now."

"You're the expert on this. Isn't it something that would take time?"

"Not _this_ much time."

As though on cue, Príncipe and Botswana's eyes snapped open, both of them gasping for breath as though they had been submerged underwater. Equatorial Guinea was at Príncipe's side in an instant.

"Patrício!" he cried out. "Are you okay?"

He knew that astral projection, like all forms of magic, could have negative side-effects. Príncipe smiled at him, and he was relieved to see that it didn't seem as though there were any _immediate_ effects.

Black was helping Botswana up, who shook his head a little, fighting the daze.

"So, were you successful?" Black asked.

"Yes," Botswana said. "Well, our first attempt wasn't so successful, since they managed to create wards for astral projection. By the way, you could have told me that Jamaica was one of them earlier! Anyway, our first attempt took us to Sao Tomé's country, near his house. His bed is the place that has the strongest connection to him…"

"I'm sorry," Mozambique interrupted, holding up her hand. " _How_ is the _bed_ the best place?"

"Not as a nation, but as a human. It's the place where he lets down his guard."

"I see," Equatorial Guinea said. "It's the place where his mind, body and spirit come to rest, and release any excess energy. There would of course be something lingering around the bed."

Botswana nodded his head. It became clear that Equatorial Guinea was probably the only one that really had an idea about what he was talking about.

"Anyway, I could track his journey since the last time he slept in the bed. That journey led us right outside the room he was being kept in."

There was an excited chatter, and Equatorial Guinea couldn't help the smile forming on his own face.

"That's nice," White said, silencing the room, "but unless you know the _exact_ location…"

"Greece," Botswana said. "The nearest town is Moni Mirtidion."

"Greece?" Morocco repeated. "He's part of this too?"

"I'm not surprised," White said. "When I heard that Italy is also part of it, I started to suspect Greece too. After all, the two of them are related to Egypt, even if somewhat distantly. I also suspect Romano, Vatican, San Marino and Malta."

"You're not wrong," Príncipe said. "I managed to survey the ground floor of the facility – more like a mansion, actually – and I managed to find a study with a world map. They colour-coded the pins they stuck to it. Red nations are those of us they know about. Black are the ones they killed. Yellow seems to be the neutral nations – Lesotho was pinned in yellow, along with Austria and the ones they captured. And blue pins were _them_."

"Can you remember any of them?" Guinea Bissau asked, looking excited.

Príncipe nodded.

"Then write them all down," White said. "I'll need to report this."

…

Romania was sitting at his coffee table, a deck of Tarot cards in front of him. This was his sixth spread, all in order to find Sao Tomé and know what was going on with him. Haiti was sitting on the couch, curled up with a doll in his hands. He was also looking for Sao Tomé.

Portugal charged into the room, looking excited. The other two couldn't help but look up when they noticed him.

"What happened?" Haiti asked.

"We found him," Portugal announced.

"Are you serious?" Romania asked. "How…?"

"The Africans managed to find a way that worked," Portugal said.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Haiti asked, gingerly placing the doll next to him. "We need to go save him."

"We will," Portugal said. "As soon as Patrício sends us the layout of the place."

…

India yawned, before he turned towards Israel, who was currently driving.

"Shouldn't we have just used that spell?" India asked.

"It would have been draining, even if we _did_ have a few hours to rest," Israel said.

"And driving from Paris to Bucharest _wouldn't_ be exhausting?"

Israel sighed.

"You could have taken a nap, if you wanted," he said. "In fact, you can sleep now, if you want."

"We're almost there, aren't we?" India asked. "I can wait a while."

The two of them had been driving for _hours_. They had left Paris as soon as news of Sao Tomé reached them. They wanted to be there for their allies, regardless of how long it would take. Though, considering the magical nations, it wouldn't be too long.

India wondered, not for the first time, why they never got around to recruiting Laos as a member of Alvora. He knew that the other was clairvoyant, but had little control over what his visions showed him, and they usually only came to him when he was asleep. But India was sure that he would have found a way to improve his abilities with Alvora's help. He was also pretty sure that Bhutan had the same potential, but the latter's abilities were still dormant.

There were actually quite a few nations that had the magic touch, yet it remained asleep. He wondered what would happen if it awoke. Would the others even be aware of what was happening? Did they even _know_ that they had the magic touch?

Well, India knew that both Black and White South Africa had the magic touch, but theirs remained dormant, no matter how much they tried. Perhaps there were certain conditions that had to be met…

India jumped when Israel shook his shoulder, and he realised that they had stopped moving.

"We're here," Israel said, smiling fondly. "Looks like you dozed off a bit."

India shook his head, blushing slightly. The two of them left the car and made their way to the front door. They didn't have long to wait.

Romania answered, eyes widening when he saw them, before smirking and allowing them entrance.

"You should have told us that you were coming," he said, before closing the door once they entered his house.

"We were a bit distracted," Israel said.

"Did you _drive_ here?" Romania asked, looking out the window to the car.

"Yeah," India said. "We might have broken a few traffic laws."

"Or _all_ of them," Israel said.

Romania shook his head, before leading them to the others.

"So, any news on Tiago?" India asked.

"We found him, with Botswana's help," Romania said, a smile on his face.

"That's great!" Israel exclaimed, a smile forming on his face. "So, what are we waiting for?"

"Damjan is trying to convince Matthew that he's not allowed to go, and I was trying to convince Alex that _he_ can't come when I heard you at the door."

They joined the others, who all looked happy at their arrival. India noticed that Poland, Canada, Serbia, Moldova, Portugal, Haiti and Equatorial Guinea were gathered there. He focused on the last one.

"When did you get here, Caio?" India asked.

"Just now," Equatorial Guinea said.

"We thought it would help to have all the magic nations together," Romania said. "And he also brought the layout of the place."

Israel and India frowned.

" _How_ did you get that?" Israel asked.

"Long story," Equatorial Guinea said. "So, I'm guessing you're coming too?"

India and Israel nodded their heads.

"Of course we are," India said.

They all jumped when Canada's phone rang, interrupting his quiet argument with Serbia. He excused himself, before answering the phone. They watched him leave, wondering what the call was about.

"Has anyone managed to reach Will?" Portugal asked, looking around the room.

"Like, I _tried_ ," Poland huffed. "But he's not answering."

"I wonder if he's already asleep," India said. "In which case, don't get your hopes up."

"Guys," Canada said, entering the room again and looking excited. "That was Olivier."

"Did something happen?" Serbia asked.

Canada nodded.

"Will was there, but he's gone now," Canada said. "But he dropped off the British counties."

"What?!" India exclaimed. "You mean he found them?"

Canada nodded, before his face fell.

"Unfortunately, only fifteen of them are left," he said. "The others were all killed by Requiem. And Ireland is one of them."

Everyone winced. They knew that it must not have been fun for Wales to learn that his brother was among their enemies.

"So, Will's not coming," Romania said. "Do you think we have enough firepower?"

"If things go well, we _should_ be able to avoid a confrontation," Portugal said. "But, just in case… Sim. If things go badly, then we should have enough firepower, as you said."

"So, when are we going?" India asked.

Portugal looked at his watch.

"In ten minutes," he said.

India and Israel turned to each other, alarmed looks on their faces. Romania noticed this and smirked.

"Don't worry," he said. "I made a tonic that should keep us awake for the next twenty-four hours. Enough time for a rescue, don't you think?"

"But you're still not going," Serbia said firmly, turning back to Canada.

Canada opened his mouth to argue back, but Portugal raised a hand to silence him.

"Akmal and the others are bringing something of Singapore's in order to track her down," he said. "In case they arrive before we come back, someone has to be here to greet him. And Alex…" Here, he turned towards Moldova, "your brother already showed you the tracking spell, so can you help them when they're here?"

The two pouted, but nodded their heads. Serbia and Romania both turned to Portugal with grateful faces.

"Vlad," India interrupted, "the tonic?"

Romania nodded, before he rushed off.

…

"So, this is it?" Serbia asked.

Portugal, Serbia, Haiti, Equatorial Guinea, Romania, India, Israel and Poland were standing in front of the house that had been indicated as the base of operations for Requiem. It looked innocent enough, but its isolation was what set them on edge.

"Apparently," Romania said. "Be on your guard."

"Come on," Portugal said, taking a step towards the house. "The sooner we save Tiago, the sooner we can leave."

They nodded their agreement, and made their way towards the house, checking for any traps or alarms. They managed to reach the side wall of the house with no problem, and standing besides a sliding door, Romania was the first to peer inside.

"It looks quiet," he said. "No movement."

"Do you know if there's an alarm system?" Portugal asked.

Romania closed his eyes, and after a while he opened them again.

"Nothing here," he said.

"This is pretty suspicious," Portugal said.

"Like, do you think they thought that this place would be isolated enough that they totally didn't even bother with alarms?" Poland asked.

"Maybe. Or maybe there's something else here."

"I can sense people on the upper storeys," Romania said. "But nothing on the ground floor, and there's no cellar or basement."

"Seriously?" India asked.

"I don't think the terrain would have been too hospitable for a basement," Portugal said. "Alright. Vlad, can you unlock it?"

Romania nodded, his eyes glowing briefly, before he reached to the handle and slid the door open.

"Keep your guard up," Portugal said. "Don't forget, we're in enemy territory now."

They nodded, and they quickly made their way inside the house. Equatorial Guinea removed the rough blueprint that Príncipe drew, checking for their location.

"We're here," he said, pointing towards a point on the blueprint. "And Tiago is being kept in _this_ room."

The others peered over his shoulders and nodded, and they immediately set out to find the offending room, searching for their comrade's prison. They kept their eyes and ears trained on any movement or sound, expecting the enemy to appear at any time.

They stopped in front of a door, and Haiti, Romania and Equatorial Guinea shuddered at the sight. They could feel the magical presence, trying to snuff out their own.

"This is it," Romania said. "This is the place."

" _This_ room would most likely be locked," Serbia said. "If not… I don't know whether to be scared or laugh at their stupidity."

Haiti frowned, reaching out to the door, only to yelp as he was shocked. The others turned to him in alarm.

"Are you okay?" Portugal asked.

"I think so," Haiti said, holding his hand with the other.

Poland looked up towards the ceiling.

"Like, do you think they heard that?" he asked.

"I hope not," Israel said.

"We need to hurry," Portugal said. "Vlad, can you unlock it?"

Romania shook his head.

"The barrier wards off magic," he said.

"We need to find the key," Equatorial Guinea said.

"But where is it?" Poland asked.

Portugal was looking around, examining their surroundings.

"I don't see it nearby," he said.

"Patrício mentioned that he saw a bunch of keys in the office," Equatorial Guinea said.

"Then that's where we're looking. Caio, you and Feliks go to get it. We'll wait here. Be careful. We don't know if any of them heard us."

Haiti looked guilty. He knew that if they were discovered, then it would be his fault. The other two nodded as they hurried towards the office, Equatorial Guinea still having the layout with him.

…

Sao Tomé had started to doze off when he heard a familiar voice. He snapped his head up, listening intently. He gasped when he realised that it was the other nations from Alvora.

And he had the sneaking suspicion that Haiti was among them.

Instead of feeling elated, he felt terrified. If they were discovered…

"Agewe!" he tried to call out, only for his voice to come out as a raspy croak.

He had screamed too much earlier, and had gone for a long while without making a sound. And he was afraid of raising his voice, lest it came out too loud and would notify Requiem of the others' presence.

Tears stung his eyes as he clenched them shut. He didn't want any of the others to get into trouble.

…

Belarus was startled awake. She was sure she heard a sound.

She listened intently, but all was quiet. She would have gone back to sleep, but her instincts told her that it wouldn't be a good idea. She frowned, before climbing out of her bed to investigate. She walked along the corridor, but all was silent on the upper floor. She made her way to the staircase before she paused. She could hear whispered voices.

No matter the time, her allies wouldn't be whispering. They would speak in low tones, yes, but they wouldn't whisper. Her eyes widened with the implication.

Intruders.

Not knowing how many of them there were, she thought it best to wake the others.

…

White and Brazil were keeping an eye on Príncipe as he wrote down a list of all the nations he saw being involved with Requiem. The others had been sent to bed, with the assurance that a rescue was underway.

Príncipe yawned as he leant back, putting the pen down.

"Are you finished?" Brazil asked.

Príncipe nodded. White carefully took the page from him.

"Roberto…" she whispered. "Do you see…?"

Brazil skimmed the list, feeling the same sense of panic that she felt. Many of them were surprising, but there was also something else that scared them both. Two of the nations listed were currently among the Yugoslavians. Where Kosovo was. Where Serbia's family was.

"We need to tell Damjan," Brazil said, reaching for his phone.

"We can't," White said. "Not now. He's probably with the others on their mission to rescue Tiago. We need to tell Novak. _He's_ the one currently with _them_."

Brazil nodded, quickly dialling a number.

…

Poland and Equatorial Guinea found the keys with ease, except there were many. They rifled through them, until Equatorial Guinea paused.

"I think I found it," he said.

"Like, how can you be sure?" Poland asked.

"This key has a spell on it," he said, raising a key. "It's the same as the door."

"Great. Now, let's go."

The two hurried back to the others, and they made room for Equatorial Guinea to insert the key. He turned it and the lock clicked, and with a triumphant smile he opened the door.

They all gasped when they saw Sao Tomé, looking pale and crying, but otherwise seemingly unharmed.

"Tiago!" Haiti exclaimed, rushing towards him.

Sao Tomé sobbed when Haiti wrapped his arms around him.

"You shouldn't be here," Sao Tomé said. "If they find you…"

"Shh," Haiti said. "We'll face them, and we'll get you away."

He turned his attention to the cuffs around Sao Tomé's wrists, and frowned when he saw the red ring surrounding each wrist. But there was no time. Haiti tried to break the cuffs, with no success.

"We need a key," Haiti said.

The other Alvora nations had ventured into the room as well, and upon hearing Haiti, they started to get to work on finding the key.

"It's a shame you won't find it."

They all jumped when they heard the voice, and turned to the entrance. Italy, Romano, Greece, Albania, Belarus, Mexico, Argentina, Chile and Venezuela were all gathered there.

Italy held up a key, and Alvora's eyes widened when they saw it.

"I'm really impressed that you managed to get in here," Italy said. "How did you even find this place? And how did you even know where to look?"

"We have our ways," Romania said, moving to stand protectively in front of Portugal.

Italy narrowed his eyes, an amused smile on his face.

"This works out better than anticipated," he said. "We've been trying to get names out of him all night, but he wouldn't budge. I'm actually impressed."

Sao Tomé shuddered, and Haiti hugged him.

"Now, why don't we make things a bit more interesting?" Italy asked. "I'll give you this key if you answer one question."

"And what would _that_ be?" Israel asked, standing in front of India.

"The most important name of all: Who is your leader?"

 **And asides from researching names, I spend a** _ **lot**_ **of time with Google Maps open. Trying to find an area that could house a secret base, for example.**


	26. Chapter 25

**Thanks to Scarllett83, Ate Luya, AquaEclipse and Eternal Nexus Warrior for reviewing.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 25**

The Alvora nations tensed when they heard Italy's words. Sao Tomé whimpered.

"No," he said. "No, don't."

Portugal glanced behind him, seeing Sao Tomé. His eyes trailed towards his curl. He could see that something was seriously wrong with the strand of hair. It looked shorter than before, and it was bent strangely.

He knew what it meant. He knew how sensitive those curls could be. And he knew with experience that any spot that could bring pleasure could also bring pain.

Gritting his teeth, Portugal moved out from behind Romania and crossed his arms.

"That would be me," he said.

The Requiem nations looked surprised, and Romania grabbed Portugal and pushed him away from the enemy.

"What the hell are you doing?" Romania snarled.

Before Portugal could answer, Romano snorted.

"You really expect us to believe that?" he asked. " _You're_ the leader? And you willingly came to enemy territory?"

Portugal narrowed his eyes.

"We use some of the same tactics," Portugal said. "Tactics that Rome taught us."

Italy and Romano exchanged a look.

"M-Miguel, no," Sao Tomé said.

"Well, if this is true," Italy said, cocking his head to the side, "then we're really fortunate."

"I told you what you wanted to know," Portugal said. "The key?"

Italy twirled the key around his fingers one more time, before throwing it towards Serbia. The Yugoslavian caught it and immediately went to Sao Tomé.

"What's going to happen _now_?" India demanded. "I highly doubt that you would just let us go."

"You're right," Italy said. "I gave you the key to free Sao Tomé, but I never said that you could go. Now, let's have a little chat."

…

Kosovo was still lying in his bed, staring at the phone's screen. Serbia had texted him to say that they were going to save Sao Tomé, and he was waiting for news. He couldn't sleep until he knew that Sao Tomé was safe, no matter how tired he was.

He jumped in surprise when the phone rang, though the name displayed wasn't Serbia's. Still, he answered swiftly.

"Roberto, what's the problem?" he asked. "Do you have news about Tiago?"

"Asides from the fact that they're on the rescue mission, no," Brazil said. "But there's urgent news. You need to be careful."

"Why?" Kosovo asked, sitting up.

"You're with two Requiem nations."

Kosovo's eyes widened. Two nations in this house belonged to the enemy organisation. And when he heard the names, he almost dropped his phone.

"Please tell me you're joking," Kosovo whimpered.

"No joke," Brazil said. "You _need_ to be careful. If they do anything… It's your choice whether you're going to fight or flee."

"And… what about the others?"

"I don't know," Brazil sighed. "But as long as you don't act suspicious, then _they_ won't be suspicious, and they won't do anything drastic. Can you do that?"

"Y-yes, I'll try."

"Good. Just pretend that you don't know about anything going on. Like what we do with Alvora. Okay?"

"O-okay."

"Good. Be strong."

The call was disconnected, and Kosovo lowered the phone. He didn't have the strength to keep looking at the screen. And he knew that he wouldn't be able to go to sleep now. What if they came by to hurt him in the middle of the night?

He knew what Requiem was capable of – the others didn't try to shelter him, despite the fact that he was still a child. And to think that he was in the same house as two of them…

Kosovo let out another whimper.

…

"And what could you possibly want to chat about?" Portugal demanded.

"Perhaps we should give you a little background first," Italy said. "It was nonno's wish. He discovered quite a few tricks that nations normally don't know about. But you already know that part, Portugal. And so do you, Romania."

The two narrowed their eyes.

"We're aware, da," Romania said. "What's the point?"

"He tasked us with the revival of the Roman Empire," Romano said. "That's why he taught us all those things. His intention was to have the Latin nations acting as the head of the New Roman Empire. But after his fall, everyone went their own directions, and it became impossible to assemble everyone. Germania and his children made things difficult. At least his grandchildren were somewhat manageable."

"We realised that if we want to bring about a new empire, we would have to change a lot of things," Italy said. "Including the nations involved. Portugal and Romania remained possible recruits, though we never actually got around to recruiting you. Perhaps we should have. Then maybe Alvora wouldn't exist. Spain and France, on the other hand, became nations we wouldn't want in our ranks. We had to bide our time, collecting members and resources. But you know what that's like, don't you? You did the same thing, right?"

"Get to the point!" Romania snapped.

"We were actually thinking that our two organisations could work together," Italy explained.

"Are you _joking_?!" Haiti shouted. "After you kidnapped and tortured Tiago?!"

"Not to mention attacking Matthew," Serbia added.

"Hey," Mexico said, "to be fair, we had no idea about Canada."

"That changes nothing!"

"Really?" Argentina asked, cocking her head to the side. "You and Canada? Somehow, I never thought that would be possible."

"To be fair, some of our couples are a bit unusual as well," Albania said.

"Getting back on topic," Italy said, glaring slightly at the nations behind him, "we realised that we wouldn't be able to collaborate. Colombia's reaction to Venezuela, for example. And Haiti's explanation about your goals. We wouldn't be compatible."

Haiti bristled a bit at the reminder of the 'game' that he 'played' with Jamaica. Thankfully, no one was paying attention to him.

"Then what is it that you want?" Portugal demanded.

Italy smirked.

"Well, not only do we have several members now, but we also have the leader with us," Italy said. "None of you are leaving this room."

"Now!" Romania shouted, removing a gun.

Equatorial Guinea, India, Serbia and Israel all did the same, and they each aimed for the inscriptions along the walls. Belarus let out a cry of alarm as the gunshots echoed along the tiny room.

"They're undoing the seals!" she exclaimed.

"What?" Romano demanded, turning to her. "What do you mean?"

"It means we can use magic in here now," Romania said, smirking as he caused a wall of flame to appear between them.

While the Requiem nations were reacting to the sudden development, the Alvora nations took the opportunity to use their magic to teleport out of there. Italy gritted his teeth in frustration.

"They fooled us," Italy said. "And we lost our fountain of knowledge."

"It wasn't a total waste," Romano said. "At least we now know who the leader is. And we have the names of several other members."

Italy pursed his lips, before he grinned.

"You're right," he said. "We know where to hit now."

…

"Alright, so we warned Novak," Brazil sighed, before staring at the sheet of paper again. "And now…"

He looked at a particular name. This person was with another one of their allies. Another one of their friends. Thankfully, this was only one person, and not two as in Kosovo's case. And this ally wasn't a child. Brazil was debating whether or not to call him now or later.

"We should call," White said. "He needs to know what's going on. If we wait until morning, there's a chance we might be too late."

Brazil nodded, before dialling their Nordic ally.

…

Canada was curled on a couch, watching the news. He was looking for any new strange activities, and all that he could say looked strange was the fact that an Israeli town near Palestine had been attacked.

Canada jumped in surprise when there was a sudden crack from next to him, and several figures fell to the ground. He recognised them all.

"Damjan!" he cried out. "Tiago!"

When they were collapsing, Haiti had grabbed the nearest sofa and angled his body so that Sao Tomé couldn't get hurt any more than he already was. Canada rushed towards them, and Haiti gratefully allowed Canada to take hold of the unconscious Sao Tomé.

"What happened?" he asked.

"We had to use magic in the anti-magic room," Romania explained. "We managed to break a few of the inscriptions to make it possible, but that's a strong barrier. Even the ones that _can't_ use magic were affected."

Canada looked towards Serbia, who shook his head. Canada quickly lay Sao Tomé on the couch before turning to them again.

"What happened?" he asked again.

"They realised that we were there and confronted us," Portugal said. "It seems that Italy's the leader."

"I got the same vibe from Romano," Romania said.

Canada's eyes widened, and he looked between the different nations.

"What else happened?" he asked.

No one answered, and instead looked between Portugal and Romania. Portugal sighed.

"Apparently, Vlad and I were considered to be 'recruits' of theirs," Portugal said. "They just never got around to actually recruiting us. And they had no intention of letting us leave."

"They also apparently wanted to see if we would work with them," Serbia said, wrapping his arms around Canada. "But they saw that there was no way in hell that we would be willing to do that, considering everything that's happened."

Canada frowned. For them to say that…

"And apparently, they started it as a way to revive the Roman Empire, or something like that," Israel said.

"Revive the empire?" Canada muttered, turning to Israel.

"It's impossible to revive Rome," India said.

"It's just… Mexico mentioned that she wanted to revive the Aztec Empire as well."

"Either way, I think we should get to bed," Portugal said. "Matthew, where's Alex?"

"He got tired," Canada said, "so I sent him to bed."

"I'll just go check to see if he's _actually_ in bed," Romania muttered, before leaving the room.

"Like, we also need to spread the word," Poland said. "We saved Tiago."

"I was thinking of going back to the other Africans," Equatorial Guinea said. "I think Patrício is waiting. Agewe, do you want to come?"

Haiti nodded.

"I'm not leaving Tiago's side any time soon," he said.

"Then we better go," Equatorial Guinea said.

Haiti nodded, before lifting up Sao Tomé's unconscious body. The two magical nations stood together, and in the next moment, they were gone.

"Well, Alex is actually asleep," Romania said, re-entering the room.

"Like, I thought that tonic was supposed to keep us awake," Poland said, before he yawned.

"It was. But that spell in such a tricky place cancelled it out."

"Come on," Portugal said. "We should tell the others, and then we can go to bed."

…

White, Brazil and Príncipe were still waiting for any word from the others. They were the only ones currently in their little conference room, but they knew that the others were still awake. All of them wanted to know about Sao Tomé.

They jumped in surprise when there was an unexpected flash of light, and when it faded, they could see three familiar figures, one of which was unconscious.

"Tiago!" Príncipe called out, immediately approaching his brother. "What happened?"

"He passed out in our attempt to get out of there," Equatorial Guinea said, wrapping his arm around Príncipe. "I'll tell you more tomorrow."

Príncipe nodded, his eyes trained on his brother's face. It was very pale, and his hair appeared…

Príncipe's eyes widened when he saw his brother's curl. The state that he was in…

"What happened to his curl?" Príncipe whispered, extending his hand.

"We need to wait for Tiago to wake up and tell us," Haiti said.

"…Agewe, take good care of my brother."

"Of course. So, where's a free room?"

…

"You're kidding," Peru groaned, phone pressed to his ear.

Chile had called him to tell him about the encounter with Alvora, and also their escape.

"At least we now know who the leader is," Chile said. "And a few others who we can target. By the way, I saw Israel there. He seemed to be particularly close to India. The two were trying to protect each other. The same way Haiti was trying to protect Sao Tomé. And we know that _they're_ together."

Peru smirked.

"I'm sure Gupta and Palestine would be happy to hear that," he said.

He hung up the phone, and he could feel Egypt's arms circling his waist.

"What was that about?" he asked groggily.

"Alvora came to get Sao Tomé back, and succeeded," Peru said.

"What?" Egypt demanded, sitting up.

"But there _is_ some good news. Israel was there, and he seemed to be particularly close to India."

Egypt smirked.

"I know someone else who could use that information."

…

Kosovo was still staring at the screen, his eyes burning. He wanted to hear from Serbia, and he wanted Serbia to know about the danger he and the others were in.

He jumped in surprise when his phone announced that he had a message, and he quickly went to read it. Finally! It was the message that he was waiting for.

 _Tiago is safe_.

Serbia was the one that sent it to him, and he immediately called the other nation back. It didn't take long for Serbia to answer.

"Novak? Shouldn't you be sleeping?"

"I was worried," he said.

"Don't be. We're safe, and Tiago…"

"Damjan, Roberto called me earlier. They managed to find out who is part of Requiem here."

Serbia was silent for a moment.

"You're saying that there's someone from Requiem with you _now_?" he asked slowly.

"Da!"

He told him which nations, and he could hear Serbia gasp on the other end. Kosovo whimpered.

"What should I do?" he asked.

"I… I don't know," Serbia admitted. "If you try to warn the others, then you might get in trouble. You can't confront them without putting yourself and the others in danger. And if you _don't_ do something… I… Maybe I should come by."

Kosovo whimpered.

"Please, hurry," he said. "I don't know what they want to do."

…

San Marino groaned, trying to rub the sleep from his eyes. They had been planning to go to Greece the following day, but now Romano called to tell him about the new developments.

"You're saying that they escaped?" San Marino asked. "It's not like you to be so careless, fratello."

He could hear Romano growling on the other end.

"They caught us unawares," Romano said. "But I think that it's time that _we_ catch _them_ unawares."

"What do you have in mind?" San Marino asked.

"Portugal is the leader."

San Marino perked up. He knew about the plans to get Portugal to join them. Plans which would now be out of the question.

"Any plans for him?" he asked.

"One or two," Romano said, and San Marino could actually hear the smirk in his voice.

…

The Nordic nation immediately sat up when his phone chimed, alerting him to a message. He smiled when he saw the text from Poland.

 _Tiago's safe. And I totally miss you._

At least _some_ good news. When Brazil called him earlier to tell him that one of the other Nordics belonged to Requiem, he actually felt sick. He also had to call someone else as a warning.

But now that he knew which Nordic nation was involved with the enemy, he could think of a plan to save the others.

…

The Asian nation listened to the person on the other end. So, India was a part of Requiem? That was interesting news.

And due to being with Bhutan and the others, he was in the perfect position to mess with India.

He smirked. This would be very fun.

…

Wales was fast asleep. Nothing could wake him at this time. Nothing, except for the chime that belonged solely to the other nations of Alvora.

He groaned, before he read the text. He smiled, before dropping back onto the bed. Sao Tomé was safe. He had saved the counties. For now, everyone that needed help was safe.

…

"That's annoying," Seborga said. "What are you going to do now?"

"We'll start retaliating against the known Alvora nations," Italy said. "And if we happen to get any more land…"

"So, any plans in particular?"

"Keep busy. And I have a feeling the Washroom will get more visitors."

"There's already one coming."

"But he's not for the Washroom. He's for one of the occupants."

"True. But maybe he can serve another purpose."

"Oh, I already have something in mind. Morocco might be worried about her sister. I wonder what she would say when she hears that her brother is in a similar situation."

"It all depends on what Algeria does to him first," Seborga said. "Tell me when we have more guests coming."

"Of course."

Seborga disconnected the call, and he decided to make the rounds yet again. He first went to Algeria, and then Nigeria, DRC and Sudan. He left Uganda for last.

He was actually surprised by how strong-willed Uganda actually was. He had nerves of steel. It was strange, considering how timid he appeared. He had managed to get out of the Silent Room in a better state than the others. Coherent. Defiant.

Seborga had to perform a few tests on him to establish if he was already insane, but nope. Uganda was as sane as anyone else. DRC was a bit cracked, and so was Sudan. Seborga set up their cells to help them further along the path of insanity. He didn't want to accidentally make them sane.

But Uganda… Seborga had to break away his resistance completely. And there was only one way to do that.

When he entered Uganda's cell, he could see that the other was still propped against the wall, his eyes unfocused. There was a scar on his head. A scar that hadn't been there before.

 **So, the little boy in the prologue was Portugal. After the fall of Rome, and I guess it would be during the Moors, after the Germanic kingdoms fell as well. If you reread the prologue, you'll notice that I only referred to the** _ **previous**_ **empire, and not the** _ **current**_ **empire. The current one was merely a** _ **ruler**_ **. I also didn't specify how many rulers he's had already.**

 **I actually have a few scenes like that, which could be interpreted one way, but once the truth is revealed, the scene takes on a new light. I know of at least one scene where I managed to fool you. And some of the 'random' scenes aren't so random. Some of them have a bit of foreshadowing in them. And some are red herrings.**

 **The part about accidentally making them sane comes from a movie (the name escapes me, but the movie was a bit underwhelming, so I guess that might be why I can't remember it). The only part I actually remember is 'what drives a sane man mad will drive a mad man sane'. The setting was an abandoned asylum. Enough said.**


	27. Chapter 26

**Thanks to Ate Luya, TheLobster, AquaEclipse, Scarllett83 and Eternal Nexus Warrior for reviewing.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 26**

Australia sighed as he made his way to Kiribati's room. He knocked on the door, and soon enough, Tuvalu opened the door.

"How is she?" Australia asked.

"She's still asleep," Tuvalu said.

"It's already ten o'clock…" Australia muttered. "I wonder if we should give her a check-up once she wakes up."

"And if she _doesn't_?"

"…Then we'll see what's going on. I checked on her current affairs. Nothing seems to be out of the ordinary."

Tuvalu whimpered, and Australia knelt down to her level.

"Don't worry about it," he said. "She'll be alright, you'll see. Now, have you had breakfast yet?"

She shook her head, and Australia sent her on her way. He took the opportunity to go into their bedroom.

Kiribati was still unconscious, like Tuvalu said, but her eyes were rolling behind the lids, suggesting that she was having a wild dream. He hoped that it wasn't a nightmare.

"How is she?"

Australia turned to see New Zealand standing in the doorway. He sighed.

"Doesn't look like there's improvement," he said. "You said she was showing signs of magic?"

New Zealand nodded.

"If England was still alive, we could have called him," Australia said. "But now…"

"We can call one of the others," New Zealand suggested. "Scotland, Ireland…"

Australia bit his lip, before looking back towards the child nation.

"Let's wait until sunset," he said. "If she's not better, _then_ we call one of them."

New Zealand nodded, eyes trained on Kiribati.

…

When Singapore woke up, it took her a while to remember what had happened. She was still in the room that Philippines had taken her to.

She felt movement behind her and she tensed. She grew aware of the arms circled around her waist. Philippines was there… in her bed…

Singapore panicked, and she lashed out, managing to kick Philippines out of the bed. Singapore didn't hesitate, scrambling off the other end and putting as much distance between her and Philippines as the chain allowed.

"Ow…" Philippines said, poking her head up from the other side of the bed. "What was that for?"

"What the hell were you doing in my bed?!" Singapore shrieked.

Philippines smiled, before climbing onto the bed and crawling closer.

"You're mine now," Philippines said. "Why can't we share a bed together?"

Singapore felt her stomach drop. What Philippines just said…

The possibility had been gnawing at her ever since she realised her predicament. Seeing the look in Philippines's eyes right now…

Singapore gasped when Philippines climbed off the other side of the bed, walking towards her. Singapore glanced around, searching for an escape. But all too soon, Philippines was in front of her. Singapore whimpered when the other woman pinned her down, straddling her waist.

"You know, I really ought to punish you for kicking me out of the bed," Philippines said. "But you look so cute right now. So terrified."

Philippines grabbed her chin, before crashing their lips together. Singapore whined as she felt the other's tongue on her lips, and reluctantly opened her mouth, allowing the other access. She tried to ignore the feeling of the muscle that did not belong there.

It took a while before Philippines pulled away, her face flushed. Singapore tried to suck in much-needed air when she heard Philippines chuckling.

"That's a good girl," Philippines said, running her hand through Singapore's hair.

Singapore closed her eyes and whimpered.

"No," she said. "Please, don't."

"And what is it you don't want me to do?" Philippines purred, leaning close.

"I… I don't want to be raped."

Philippines chuckled, before kissing her cheek. And then she climbed off of Singapore.

"Well, that's enough of that," she said. "Breakfast time."

Singapore watched in confusion as Philippines left.

…

Philippines ruffled her hair, a frown on her face. So, Singapore assumed that she was going to force her?

Well, the temptation was certainly there, but that would be counterproductive. For Philippines's goal to be met, Singapore had to willingly give herself over to her. It was only through choice that Philippines knew she would have attained a victory.

Before starting on breakfast, she went to her bedroom to fetch her phone. She frowned in confusion when she saw that Mexico had tried to call her. With phone in hand, she made her way to the kitchen, dialling Mexico's number as she went.

"Hola?" Mexico's sleepy voice answered her.

"Oh, were you still sleeping?" Philippines asked. "Sorry. I just saw that you tried to call me."

"Si. Where were you?"

"I slipped into Singapore's bed, and I didn't take my phone with me."

Mexico chuckled.

"Did you have fun?" she asked.

"Not yet," Philippines said. "But soon. Anyway, I assume there was a reason why you called."

"Si. You remember how we managed to get a little plaything from Alvora? Well, we lost him."

"What?"

"They managed to sneak in and take him back. They used magic in the Interrogation Room."

Philippines came to an abrupt stop.

"What?" she asked.

"We had them cornered – Belarus noticed that they were there, and we went to confront them – and they broke some of the seals in the room. Enough to be able to get away."

Philippines growled in frustration, leaning against the nearby wall.

"So, what do we do _now_?" she asked.

"We _were_ able to learn a few things," Mexico said. "Namely, that Portugal is the leader."

Philippines perked up. Already, a number of ideas were going through her head. She smirked.

"East Timor," she said. "It would definitely mess with Portugal if we hurt one of his former colonies."

"The fact that he personally came to rescue Sao Tomé proves you're right," Mexico said. "But then again, he's always been like that."

Philippines felt a slight pang. It was always something that they had envied about the Portuguese colonies. Spain didn't give his own colonies half the time that Portugal gave _his_. It was one of the reasons why they hated him so much. And why some of them had gone to Portugal, though he had never taken them as colonies.

Now that she thought about it, Ecuador and Colombia always preferred to go to Portugal if something bothered them. They had an awfully close relationship with someone who wasn't part of the same empire, or part of the same geographical location, or…

Philippines's thoughts came to a halt. Ecuador and Colombia had close ties with Portugal. Not as nations, but as people. And Colombia was confirmed to be a member of Alvora. Did that mean…

"Are you still there?" Mexico asked.

"Yeah," Philippines said. "I was just thinking. You know how Ecuador and Colombia are so close to Portugal? Well, since Colombia is a member of Alvora…"

"Then there's the possibility that Ecuador is too," Mexico said. "Oh, Diego is not going to like that."

"I'm not telling him," Philippines said hastily.

"Hey! Your theory, _you_ tell him."

Philippines groaned.

"So, what are Italy and Romano saying we should do about the known members?" Philippines asked.

"Give them hell," Mexico said. "Target their friends and family. Kill and recruit."

Philippines smirked.

"That sounds like a grand idea," she said. "Anyway, Aminah is waiting for breakfast. Can't keep her waiting too long. Yet."

…

East Timor shuddered. He had the odd sensation that someone was talking about him in a sinister way.

The four of them had arrived in Bucharest, and were making their way to Romania's house. They would have used their spell to arrive earlier, and in the process hopefully helped with saving Sao Tomé, but they didn't want to freak Brunei out more than he already was. But at least they knew that their ally was safe.

"Here we are," Malaysia said, before he paid the taxi driver.

They made their way towards Romania's front door, and they didn't have to wait too long before Romania opened the door. He looked tired, but there was a satisfied look on his face.

"Oh, you're here," Romania said. "Come in."

They acquiesced, and Malaysia paused to rifle in a backpack that he carried, before removing a shirt.

"This is one of Singapore's," Malaysia said. "She likes to wear this on her days off."

Romania looked at the shirt that appeared to be several sizes too large for the petite Singapore. He also noticed the cartoony lion on the shirt. He couldn't help but chuckle.

"Never judge a book by its cover," he muttered. "Come in. We're having breakfast."

They nodded their heads, following Romania to the dining room. The Alvora nations looked up at their arrival, and exchanged a few friendly greetings. Asides from the looks Brunei would receive, no one seemed to be bothered by the sudden arrival.

"So, last night was a success?" Indonesia asked, sitting down and grabbing a piece of toast.

"We got Tiago back," Serbia said. "And we learned the identities of everyone in Requiem."

"You don't look happy about that," Brunei said. "I mean, shouldn't you be happy that you learned about your enemy?"

"Two of them are relatives."

"…Oh."

Brunei decided that it would be a good time to grab a bowl and fill it with cereal. East Timor turned to Portugal.

"So, who else is our enemy?" he asked.

Portugal sighed, before he repeated the list that the Africans had sent him. The new arrivals were understandably horrified.

"You're kidding!" Brunei said. "There's no way that…"

"I know," India said. "I don't want to accept it either."

"But… Bhutan and the others…"

"We need to get them out of there. I know. The problem is, we don't know what to do."

"You could tell them!"

"And in the process, potentially expose them to danger," Malaysia said.

"But…"

"Trust me, this is difficult for all of us," Portugal said. "But we can't risk anything that would endanger them."

"You mean, you don't want to risk anything that would expose you."

"At this point, it doesn't matter," Israel said. "We've done nothing wrong."

"Except perhaps force people to sign a contract."

"Speaking of which," East Timor said, turning to Brunei, "you seem to be a bit more on board with things than before."

He blushed, before turning away.

"We did not kill anyone," Portugal said. "We also didn't kidnap anyone."

Brunei opened his mouth to argue.

"You're free to go anytime you want," Malaysia said in a bored tone. "It's just that we can keep you safe while you're with us."

Brunei closed his mouth again.

Israel shifted slightly, and East Timor picked up on it.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"I'm not sure," he said. "I get this strange, prickly sensation."

"Do you think something might be happening?" India asked.

"It's more than possible."

"We need to check in on our countries," Portugal said. "Particularly everyone they know about now. I get the feeling that they wouldn't be happy about our escape."

"I was expecting some sort of retaliation earlier," Romania said. "So, it's strange that they haven't done anything yet."

"Not that we know of," Serbia said. "But I agree that we need to go back to our own countries as soon as possible. Or join groups that we belong to."

"Well, I can't rejoin Antonio and the others now," Portugal sighed. "They would ask me about Tiago. And we should also tell him to avoid the outside nations for a while."

"Oh, I don't think that would be a problem," India said. "There's no way that Agewe would let him out of his sight."

"By the way, I forgot to ask: How did it go with Sri Lanka and Oman?"

"They're still sceptical about Requiem," Israel said. "But they're willing to think about it. I did give them a list of nations to be wary of."

"We need to send them the updated list then. Sri Lanka especially needs to know, if he's interested in joining Bangladesh and the others."

"Understood," India said.

"And then after breakfast, I'm going to Slovenia's place," Serbia said, sighing. "I can't leave Novak with those two."

"And I probably need to check on Olivier with the counties," Canada said. "By the way, do you think we should take Madalena, Egídio and Hannes to my country?"

"It might be safe," Portugal murmured. "Though, I think only Hannes would be happy with your climate. I think I'll send Madalena and Egídio to the Africans."

Canada nodded in understanding, and Portugal stood from the table, most likely to call the autonomous regions. Thankfully, they were still safe, and they would continue to be safe.

East Timor thought of Macau, and he couldn't help but wonder how it was with the other Asian. He knew that Macau was with China's group, but how was it going?

"So, what's everyone else going to do?" Malaysia asked, looking around the table.

It was already decided that the South-East Asians would be searching for Singapore. But it wouldn't hurt to know what the others' plans were.

"Like, I know that Toris and Chio will be coming over later, as soon as they escape China and Russia," Poland said. "Those two groups will be joining France, so Gilbert can totally keep an eye on them."

"I'm going to join the other Yugoslavians," Serbia said. "I won't allow any of them to fall to _their_ hands. I'm also worried about Novak."

"I'm going to join Olivier," Canada said.

"I'll be joining Bhutan and the others," India said. "I need to make sure that they're safe."

"I also think I'll check on some of the other Middle Eastern nations," Israel said. "Some of them don't like me, but I should be able to get through to Jordan and Lebanon."

"Will you be inviting them along?" Indonesia asked curiously.

"We _need_ to get them to sign the contract. It's the easiest way to protect them."

"Looks like everyone's got plans," Malaysia said. "Except you, Feliks."

"Like, I'm waiting for Toris, and then we can go get Czech and Slovakia," Poland said. "All things considered…"

"Yeah," Indonesia said, nodding. "It might not be a good idea for them to be left to their own devices."

"So, does that mean that Poland and Lithuania are really a couple?" Brunei asked.

Poland gagged, and the others burst out into laughter. Brunei just looked confused.

"Like, Tori and I are _just_ friends," Poland said. "But we _do_ work well together. And, like, Toris can explain himself better than I can."

"Simply put, Feliks wants Toris around so that he could explain everything in a diplomatic fashion," East Timor said. "Gilbert would _not_ be happy with Feliks if there was something between him and Toris. And neither would Feliks's 'cuddly bubbly bunny'."

Poland blushed, before turning away.

"Like, you're mean!" he complained.

…

Haiti woke up, and he turned to the side. He smiled when he realised that Sao Tomé was indeed sleeping next to him. He reached out to stroke his lover's cheek, but the other island nation whimpered, moving away. Haiti retracted his hand, before looking at Sao Tomé's curl.

He knew very well how sensitive that strand of hair could be – he had exploited it on many occasions. Seeing the state that it was in… and he knew that they wouldn't have just snapped it. Despite its sensitivity, it was remarkably strong. And it was obvious from the way it was bent that it hadn't been cut. He could only imagine how much force would have been necessary to even break the strand, and how painful it must have been.

Considering Italy and Romano also had curls, Haiti knew that it was done with the full knowledge of how painful it would have been. This only fuelled his anger.

He was snapped out of it when he heard his phone ringing. He sighed, before turning to the other side. He frowned when he saw the familiar number. Why was the mayor of Port-au-Prince calling him?

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Ah, Agewe," the human said. "Um, I don't know how to say this, but…"

"You should know by now that I don't like it if you take your sweet time. Especially considering the past 24 hours. So spit it out."

"Well, it's your house…"

…

Jamaica had gone to one of his other houses. He needed a shower, and he didn't need questions. The scent of smoke was lingering, and he didn't want any of the others to grow suspicious.

He couldn't remember the last time he had committed arson. It was a fun experience, especially since he personally went to do the deed. It was just a shame that Haiti wasn't there.

But perhaps he could pay the residence of another Alvora nation a visit.

…

Sealand bounced into the kitchen, seeing that Scotland, Ireland and Northern Ireland were all there. He frowned, before looking around for Wales.

"Where's Wales?" Sealand asked.

"Don't know," North said. "Do you think he might still be sleeping?"

"If so, then I'll go wake him."

"NO!"

Sealand jumped in surprise when all three of the older nations cried out. Scotland cleared his throat.

"Look, whatever you do, _do not wake the sleeping dragon_ ," Scotland said. "You may check to see if he's still asleep, and if he is, then you get out of there as quietly as possible and pray to every god in every religion that he doesn't wake up."

"Why?" Sealand asked, cocking his head to the side.

"Simply put, there is nothing in the world scarier than Wales when someone wakes him up," Ireland said.

Sealand still didn't understand, but decided to leave it at that.

…

Tunisia gasped in alarm when he felt the plane descend. Eritrea jolted awake, and woke Libya as well.

"We're almost there," Eritrea muttered, before looking towards Tunisia. "Had a nice nap?"

Tunisia glared at the other. In truth, he hadn't slept a wink. Fear kept him awake. And he was close to finding out what they had in store for him.

He was alarmed when he saw the other two dress in thick coats, but once they opened the plane door, he understood.

 **I imagine that Australia would be really good with kids.**

 **And Requiem nation or not, Ireland is genuinely afraid of Wales when he is forced awake. Despite knowing everything that Requiem is capable of, he still thinks that Wales being woken up is the scariest thing in the world.**


	28. Chapter 27

**Thanks to Ate Luya, AquaAclipse and Scarllett83 for reviewing.**

 **It is not my intention to be insulting or racist, but if I come across as such, I apologise. But I was also under the impression that everyone understood that the way I depict the nations in this fic – particularly the Requiem nations – are** _ **only**_ **for this story and do not reflect my views on the nation they represent, nor are they how I would write them in any other story. I was also under the impression that everyone was aware of the fact that Philippines is a yandere, and if anything, she embodies yandere stereotypes. Regarding the cannibalism, it's just a way to show how unhinged they are, but Philippines, Mexico and the South Americans are not the only ones, I just haven't had an opportunity to show the others. There's another Asian that I have in mind, and a few Europeans.**

 **And regarding the name Tala: I spent** _ **hours**_ **looking for a Tagalog name, because I don't want to be cliché, and as we've seen with the Africans, I alternate between colonial and traditional names. Anyway, when researching names, there are a few things I look for: nationality/ethnicity, gender, aesthetic, meaning, and difficulty remembering. Tala means 'bright star', and is also the name of a Tagalog goddess. I thought it would be fitting for a nation who has a sun and stars as part of their flag and coat of arms. And I didn't immediately settle on the name, but I also cross-referenced. In other words, I checked multiple sites to see if it was a valid choice. If not, then you can blame my sources, but don't accuse me of going for the first name I see or making up names. I spend a lot of time on** _ **each**_ **of my OCs' names, and even some of the canon characters who don't have canon names. And there's no rule that says it has to be a common name, if 'Lovino' is anything to go by. And trust me, real life has some pretty bizarre names. I'm currently working at a school where one of the children is called 'Forever Victory'.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 27**

Tunisia struggled as best he could as Libya tried to drag him through the snowy landscape, and eventually Libya seemed to grow tired, for he threw Tunisia over his shoulder and continued. Tunisia started struggling again, before realising that he was in a very prone position with his hands tied behind his back, being surrounded by icy wind. In the end he stopped struggling in an effort to get free, but started struggling in an effort to stay warm.

Eritrea was checking his phone screen, a frown on his face. The frown wasn't a good sign.

"Alvora managed to take back our prisoner," Eritrea said.

"What?" Libya asked. "How?"

"They managed to sneak in. I'm surprised they even managed to _find_ him. Looks like they might actually make things interesting."

Tunisia was listening intently. Alvora. That was Morocco's group. And which prisoner?

The thought of a prisoner being saved ignited a spark of optimism in him. If they rescued one prisoner, then they could rescue another. Him and Algeria, for example. And he knew that they would most likely come to rescue him. After all, he was now Alvora territory, and Morocco wouldn't be happy to know that he was gone. She had already been upset when they took Algeria.

Tunisia sighed in relief when they entered the facility. It wasn't toasty, but it was better than the ice and snow outside. He was placed on his feet, and his knees buckled beneath him. Libya and Eritrea chuckled.

"You're surprisingly quiet," Libya said.

Tunisia turned towards him, still trembling from the cold.

"A-and y-y-you are s-s-surprisingly s-strong for s-such a f-feminine m-m-man," Tunisia stuttered.

Libya's mirth was gone, and he glared at Tunisia in annoyance. So, it wasn't a façade. His appearance really _was_ a sore spot for him. Tunisia actually felt a little proud at his display of defiance.

That pride was dashed when he heard footsteps approaching. He turned in the direction of those footsteps and saw that three people were coming. The three of them were teenagers, and while one of them held a strong resemblance to the Italy brothers, the other two were a mystery. They were blond and pale, with cold blue eyes. They also had a strong resemblance to each other, and Tunisia suspected that they were siblings.

Libya leaned over to whisper in Tunisia's ear.

"I'm going to let your comment slide," he whispered. "What they're going to do to you would be worse than anything I could do to you."

Tunisia shuddered, and the three teenagers came to a stop in front of them. The Italian smirked at Tunisia.

"We've been waiting for you," he said. "There's someone who's been anxious to see you."

Tunisia swallowed nervously, and Eritrea grabbed his arm.

"I hope you don't mind if we decide to watch," he said.

"Feel free," the Italian said, before he started to walk away.

Tunisia was forced to follow, along with the others. He looked around, seeing several metal doors, and he couldn't help but wonder what was in there. Finally, they stopped in front of a door. The Italian pulled out a card and swiped it in the card-reader on the door, before the door opened.

"Come in," he said.

Tunisia swallowed nervously as he was dragged inside. The first thing he noticed was the room was dark. Scarily so. The next thing he noticed that there was a soft drumming. He could feel himself tense when he heard that sound. It was unnerving.

The room was bathed in illumination, and he gasped. He could see a figure huddled in the corner.

"Basira," he whispered.

The figure seemed to react, for she looked up. Algeria was staring at him with strange eyes. Eyes like an animal.

He was startled when he was suddenly untied, and he glanced back to the other nations one more time before he looked back towards his sister. His brotherly instincts overwhelmed him and he rushed to her side.

"Are you okay?" he asked as soon as he reached her.

He gasped in surprise as her hand was suddenly clamped around his throat. She pushed him down, and he groaned when he saw the feral look in her eyes. Eyes full of hatred. He also vaguely noticed that the floor, walls and ceiling were painted black.

"B-Basira," he choked.

Algeria said nothing, but she used her free hand to rip his shirt open. He tried to push her away, but her grip only tightened. He whimpered when she leaned closer…

…And bit him. Hard.

He screamed in pain as her teeth sank into his flesh, and the scream heightened in pitch when she pulled away. He felt his stomach twist when he saw her chewing.

She was…

She kept taking more bites from him, and he tried to push her off, but she was too strong. When did she get so strong? At one point she slammed his head against the floor, and he was dazed. He could only recognise the fact that he was being cannibalised by his sister. Tears were streaming down his face, but he couldn't find it in himself to blame Algeria. He blamed Libya and the others. What did they do to Algeria?

"That's enough," the Italian said, stepping closer. "Sonno."

Algeria's eyes turned blank, and she collapsed on top of Tunisia. He scrambled to get out from underneath her, and the Italian and the blond brother came to pull Algeria off of him. He kept staring, panting in fear.

"What did you do to her?" he demanded.

"The primal pulse," the sister said, staring at him with an amused smirk. "All sanity and reason are stripped away. In other words, everything that makes a person human. This is also the first meal she's had since coming here."

He widened his eyes. He turned to Libya and Eritrea.

"You… you brought me here to be cannibalised by my own sister," he said.

"It was a test," Libya said. "Women react to the primal pulse faster than men. Probably because they rely on their instincts a bit more than men. If Algeria didn't attack you, then we knew that the others were far from ready."

"As for the cannibalism…" Eritrea said. "Well, she's your sister. She cares about you. And you're the last person that she would normally attack. Now, if she _would_ attack you…"

Tunisia closed his eyes. Their test was a success.

"What are you going to do to me now?" he asked.

"We still need to test the others," the blond girl said. "See how willing they are to attack. And then we'll see how sadistic they can be."

"In short," Libya said, "you're not leaving this place."

…

Morocco shuddered, feeling a disturbance. She didn't know what it was, but she had the distinct sensation that something bad was happening.

The African group was gathered together for breakfast. Black and White had worked together to make a truly South African breakfast, which was very impressive, considering how late they all were awake. But this was now a celebration.

Sao Tomé was back.

He had woken up a while back, and he looked pale, but he was there. He was safe. But everyone was furious to hear about what had happened to his curl.

"They can't get away with it," Príncipe snarled.

"We should have taken the time to injure or kill them," Haiti agreed.

"It wouldn't have solved anything," White sighed. "But, if it makes you feel better, I do have a plan in mind."

"I'm eager to hear."

"Well, I for one am planning to show them true tormentas."

Brazil chuckled, and some of the others smirked.

"They hurt one of our own," White continued. "This cannot go unpunished. And as we all know, there are better ways of punishing than killing."

"And Miguel is fine with this?" Colombia asked.

"The only condition that he gave was that we do it in such a way that it can't be traced back to us."

A quiet buzz erupted. They all knew that Portugal wasn't one for revenge, so the fact that he was encouraging it proved to them how serious he was about the matter. And none of them could blame him. They all had experience with how protective he could be, especially towards his former colonies.

Morocco smirked. Already, she was forming plans to strike back. Libya was the nearest target. If she could just convince Tunisia…

Her eyes widened. Now that she thought about her brother, she realised that that was the thing that was wrong. Something was happening to Tunisia.

She frowned, before excusing herself from the group. She quickly went up to her room to grab her cell phone, and dialled a familiar number. She waited for a while before there was an answer.

"Imane? What is it?"

"Salma, I want you to check on Asim. I get the feeling that something's happening."

"Asim?" Western Sahara repeated. "Well, now that you mention it… I've been keeping an eye on Basira's news, and asides from the fact that it's storming… The humans say that it's spread to Tunisia."

"What?"

"Tunisia is overcast, particularly Tunis. And… hold on…"

Morocco waited for a while, and Sahara gasped.

"Okay, so it's now storming in Tunis," she reported. "And in Algiers, there was a huge fire of the parliament building. It's completely destroyed."

"That means that something _definitely_ happened to Basira and that something is happening to Asim," Morocco said. "But they didn't get him."

"Do you want me to check?"

"I would appreciate it, thanks."

She hung up the phone, biting her lip. Her sister had already been in danger, and now her brother appeared to be in danger as well. She only hoped that the two weren't connected.

…

Haiti glanced towards Sao Tomé, seeing the other's somewhat dazed look, before he turned his attention to Botswana. It wasn't lost on him that they wouldn't have found Sao Tomé as soon as they did if it wasn't for the Southern African.

The fire that struck his house was worrisome, but it wasn't important enough that he wanted to go there. He had another house that only Alvora knew about. Anything important was in that house. He just couldn't help but think that it was a strange coincidence. He used his house burning down as an excuse, and then his house burned down.

This smelt like Jamaica.

He would deal with Jamaica another time. For now, he had more important business to take care of. He glanced towards Sao Tomé one more time before he sighed, pushing his empty plate away from him.

"I'm going out for a while," he said. "Tiago, I want you to get some more rest." He looked towards Black. "Take care of him."

Black nodded, a knowing smirk on his face. The others watched him in confusion as he made his way back to his room, his wallet being retrieved. When he returned, he found Príncipe waiting for him.

"I'm going with you," Príncipe said. "Tiago is my brother, after all."

Haiti nodded his head, and the two of them made their way to the garage. They were going shopping.

…

The girl sat down in front of the computer, preparing her report. The primal pulse had certainly driven Algeria insane. Now that she lacked humanity, it was time to rebuild her.

She wondered if she should allow her to develop a taste for human flesh. Considering Algeria's religion, it would certainly be cruel. She smirked, deciding to continue with that conditioning.

It was Mexico that had originally suggested it a long time ago. She was also the only one that developed a taste on her own. Watching the massacres in Aztec's time… The blood would sometimes end up in her mouth, and the scent would always linger about. Eventually, blood became flesh. And when the Spaniards came…

She found it to be the best type of revenge.

Well, among nations, cannibalism certainly had its advantage. They absorbed a bit of the nation's power whose people they consumed, and if they were consuming a fellow nation…

More power.

But the act of cannibalism had a psychological effect on the one that committed it. Humans were naturally programmed with an aversion. And that was why it was a good way to test how far along their new recruits were. Some would still shrink away when they encountered someone in their cells, other than herself, her brother and Seborga. They were conditioned from the start not to attack them. When reduced to the feral state, they would normally happily attack any source of food in front of them, even if it was a human, or someone humanoid. That was one of the reasons why they starved them.

Another, more effective test to determine the state of their mentality was to see whether or not they were willing to resort to auto-cannibalism. Many of the regions had been brought for testing, and while some had in fact gone so far, others had held out, preferring to die of starvation, even in their unhinged state.

Algeria turned out to be quite pliable.

They would wait a few days before testing the others, but Uganda would still take a while longer. He needed to recover from his lobotomy first, but he was given enough music and subliminal messages to ensure that he would see things their way once he recovered.

Now that Algeria proved herself willing to attack her brother like that, it was time to rebuild her mind. For this, she needed to be kept asleep for three days, and then they would test her again.

She wondered what tests they could use for the others.

She switched on the cameras, watching the footage of the prisoners. She turned up the audio for Nigeria, hearing his ravings. They weren't in a language she knew, so she switched the audio to DRC, and _that_ brought forth something interesting.

He kept muttering a name. She turned up the volume, smirking at the name being spoken. It seemed as though someone was in love. And to make things better, this name belonged to an Alvora nation. This should be interesting.

She made a note to have DRC's conditioning revolve around this nation. Because throughout his mental anguish, his departure from reason, and his descent into madness, he kept muttering _that_ name. As though the name itself was his lifeline.

They would exploit it. It's worked very well in the past, after all.

…

Andorra sighed, staring out the train's window. France had asked him to come to his Parisian house as soon as possible, and even though he was confused, he figured that it would be a good idea to go.

He whimpered, gripping his head. It's been happening a lot lately, ever since the previous meeting. He would get these spiking headaches, accompanied by a bout of dizziness. They didn't last long, but they were annoying, and potentially dangerous.

They were the reason why he was taking the train instead of driving, other than the fact that the train would be faster. One of these episodes occurred while he was driving, and for a few seconds he lost control. He managed to regain his bearings just in time. He had been driving past a school when it occurred.

It was one of the reasons why he decided to heed France's call. France didn't seem like it, but he was pretty decent when it came to medical care, and he wanted France to take a look at him. These episodes were really starting to…

He groaned, hand flying to his mouth. There was another brief pout of pain, accompanied by a bout of nausea. There was nothing happening in his country to warrant these attacks, so could this be affecting him personally?

He hoped that France could help him find an answer.

…

Tibet sighed, walking along the path. He had always preferred a nomadic lifestyle, and had always preferred to walk. It helped him clear his mind.

It's been a while since anyone came to find him. Usually, it was either China or Nepal, and China's visits were rarely welcome. But he hadn't heard from either of them for a long while. Well, he always made sure to tell Nepal where he was going, in case the other nation came to find him.

This time, his destination was a small, isolated village in the mountains. He always preferred places like that. He could still pretend as though it was ancient times.

The village came into sight, and he stopped, the small smile on his face being wiped away. He stared in horror.

A fire had ravaged the village, and he could sense no life there. Feeling concerned, he ran the rest of the way.

It was as he feared. Everything and everyone had been burned to ashes. It was when he found the corpse of a small child that he fell to his knees.

How could this have happened? This was no accident. It was done with purpose.

"It's about time," a voice said from behind him. "I got bored."

Tibet froze. He knew that voice. But he'd never heard it sound like that. Cautiously, he turned around to see South Korea standing behind him, smelling like smoke.

"Why?" Tibet whispered.

South Korea smirked.

"You should have stuck close to China," he said, before advancing.

…

Botswana grumbled as he returned to his room. Black had asked him to draw Morocco reading on the couch. While he didn't mind drawing someone when requested, he still felt a bit disturbed by the fact that his neighbour/cousin had asked him to draw his girlfriend.

He opened his bedroom door before freezing.

On his bed was the largest collection of drawing supplies that he'd ever seen. Sketchbooks in various sizes. A complete set of graphite pencils. Watercolour pencils, oil pastels, chalk pastels, pastel pencils, felt, charcoal, and colouring pencils.

The last one actually made him stare in shock. It was the box of 120 pencils. He knew that that was very expensive. In fact, _everything_ of this was expensive. These were high quality.

Atop the stack was a note, and he hesitantly took hold of it.

 _Thank you for your help in saving Tiago. Enjoy this gift. -Príncipe and Haiti._

 **I figured that Alvora would want to thank Botswana for his help, because without him, they would still be looking for Sao Tomé. And these are things that I've eyed as well. The colour pencils, for example, cost more than R4 000. Well, Botswana can continue practicing his hobby.**

 **Libya's being a feminine man is something I retained from Ve, We Totally Fooled You. When I think of the country, I see male, but when I hear the name, I think female. And for the longest time, I didn't use any gendered pronouns with him, and when the time came for him to play a bigger role, I had no idea if he was male or female, so out of frustration, he's an effeminate man.**

 **And I deliberately used the noun for the Italian 'sleep' instead of the verb. The use of 'tormentas' is also deliberate.**


	29. Chapter 28

**Thanks to Ate Luya and AquaEclipse for reviewing.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 28**

Russia's group had arrived at the airport a while ago, and most of them were just stretching their legs after the long plane ride. Lithuania and Macau had already left, in search of their own ways to get to their destinations.

"Were you waiting long?"

The group turned towards the speaker, seeing France and Spain approaching them. Russia smiled.

"We haven't been here too long," Russia said. "Though, I was sure that Prussia was with you?"

"He had to go to the bathroom," Spain explained.

"I also asked Andorra to come, and he should be arriving at my house," France said.

"That's a good idea," China said, glancing towards Taiwan and Hong Kong. "I'd prefer if Macau stayed as well, but if he's with Portugal, I guess I can't complain. So… where exactly _is_ he?"

"Sao Tomé disappeared," Spain said. "Príncipe called Portugal, and my brother left to get to his former colony."

"It makes sense that he would want other former colonies to come along," Russia said.

"I'll just call Portugal to make sure everything is alright with Macau," China sighed. "But it would have been nice if he was still here and stayed with you. What's he even planning to do to help?"

"I guess he thinks that he needs to do _something_ ," Spain said.

…

Lithuania and Macau were waiting near the bathroom. Lithuania smiled when he saw Prussia approaching. The Prussian, in turn, grinned happily.

"We just don't get a chance to stay together, do we?" Lithuania said.

"Do you _have_ to go?" Prussia asked.

"Feliks wants me to help him with getting Czech and Slovakia. The two of them might be at risk."

" _You_ might also be at risk," Prussia sighed. "Feliks was seen with the others. They're going to assume that they could hurt him by attacking _you_."

"They won't target me unless I'm in my country. And travelling around might be the best way to stay safe."

Portugal had sent each of them the conclusion that Requiem had come to in the notes they found in Italy's house. They decided that Lithuania was to be recruited, due to how dangerous he could be when he actually applied himself. It scared him that he was considered to be a potential asset to the enemy.

"I wish you could stay," Prussia sighed, moving to hug Lithuania.

"Remember that we're in public," Macau said.

Prussia and Lithuania moved away from each other, with Prussia glaring at Macau.

"You're a bit of a party-pooper, you know that?" Prussia grumbled.

Macau smirked, hiding his mouth behind his fan.

"I'll get him back for it later," Lithuania whispered to Prussia.

"That's one of the reasons why I love you," Prussia whispered back.

"We should probably get going," Macau sighed, before he glanced at his watch. "Are we taking a plane or using the spell? Because I really don't want to drive to Bucharest."

"No, you're right," Lithuania said. "We're already at the airport, but it's still going to take some time. And we were just on a long flight from North America."

The two of them stared at each other for a long while. Macau smirked, before withdrawing a coin.

"Shall we flip for it?" he asked.

…

Croatia made his way to the door, and when he opened it, he was surprised to see who was on the other side.

"Damjan?" he questioned.

Serbia smiled brightly at him.

"Hi Gordan," he said. "May I come in?"

Croatia shook himself, before he smiled.

"Of course," he said, before he allowed the other nation entrance. "Where were you?"

"I had business to take care of with Romania," Serbia said.

"Oh. Well, why didn't you bring him along?"

"Romania still has other business to take care of."

"Damjan!"

The two were startled by the sudden, childlike voice shouting in excitement. Serbia grunted when Kosovo collided with his torso, wrapping his arms around the older nation. Serbia did his best to hug back while he was still off-balance.

Croatia couldn't help but blink at the sight. He never knew Kosovo to be _this_ excited to see Serbia. In fact, Serbia was usually the one that was a bit overprotective, while Kosovo wanted to maintain some distance.

"Novak, is everything okay?" Serbia asked, gently pushing the younger away.

"I'm just so happy to see you," Kosovo said, smiling up at the older nation.

"Well, this is a surprise."

They turned to the doorway, where they could see Slovenia standing with his arms crossed, staring at Serbia with an unreadable expression. Serbia straightened, and he also regarded Slovenia with a cool expression.

"It would have been nice if you called to warn me that you're coming," Slovenia said.

"I didn't think that it would have been so important," Serbia said. "After all, _you're_ the one that suggested that we all come together."

"No need to remind me," Slovenia sighed. "Anyway, you know where your room is. And _you're_ cooking dinner tonight."

Slovenia stalked off, and Croatia looked between Serbia and the point where Slovenia had disappeared. Something had happened recently that made their already-strained relationship more difficult. He wanted to ask, but he was also distracted by the fact that Kosovo was clinging tightly to Serbia, almost as though he was _frightened_ of something. What it was, Croatia had no idea, but it couldn't have been Slovenia, could it?

…

Hungary had a smile on her face as she listened to Austria playing the piano. She had always liked Austria's music. But some of the other things about him she hated, such as his belief that he could control her. And before Maria Theresa, he was quite a misogynist. And yet, he needed _her_ to keep him safe. He was a weakling, and he relied on others for his strength. He could barely do anything without the aid of others.

But the thing she hated the most was that he kept her from her beloved.

Italy had done her a favour when he recruited her as a member of Requiem.

Austria still hadn't noticed her, or if he had, he had no reason to suspect that she had less-than-friendly intentions for him. She would have preferred to torture him, but Alvora was a priority. And she needed to return to her lover. As quietly as she could, she removed the pistol from the folds of her dress, and carefully aimed for Austria's head.

She couldn't help but smirk as she saw the blood staining his beloved piano. The sound of the keys echoed where he had landed, and she made her way closer, ensuring that Austria was truly dead. She then dipped her finger in the blood and licked.

She wasn't like the South Americans. She wasn't interested in flesh. She was more interested in blood. She had gotten along well with a certain countess, which was why she chose her human name. Times had changed, and she supposed that she had to get a feminine name.

Her work done, Hungary spun around and left the room. She wondered how long it would take anyone to come looking for Austria. She wondered who would be the one to see him like that.

She wished she could stay to see _that_ , but she had other priorities.

…

"Are you sure you're up for it?" Portugal asked, and Romania smiled.

"I'll be fine," he said. "This isn't the first time I used magic to take everyone to different places."

It was agreed that as soon as Macau and Lithuania arrived, Romania would take the others to their different destinations. Serbia wasn't too far away, so he had left already, but Canada would need a lift, and Romania had to pick up the autonomous regions as well. He would also send Malaysia and the others to Philippines.

Romania was actually debating with himself about whether or not he should join the others in their mission to save Singapore. On one hand, it might have been beneficial to have at least someone capable of using magic with them, but on the other, he was still a bit exhausted after the previous night's rescue, and he would be even more exhausted after taking everyone to their destinations. He would also need to take India to Bangladesh, and Israel was fine with taking a plane to Lebanon. The other Middle Eastern nation wasn't in any immediate danger, so he could take his time.

The two were startled by a bright light, and the very two nations they had been waiting for arrived. Lithuania groaned a little, looking a bit sick. There was a small cut on his finger.

"I thought you were flying?" Portugal asked.

"We were just on a plane from North America, not long after we were on a plane from different North American countries," Macau explained. "We decided that this would be a better idea. And this is the result of the coin toss."

Portugal sighed, before he looked towards Romania.

"Be careful," he said. "And don't overexert yourself."

"I know my limits," Romania said, grinning. "I'll be fine."

…

Togo sighed as he put down the phone. These calls were getting really tiresome, but he knew that it was necessary. His encounter with Mexico at the airport was testament to it.

He shuddered as he thought back to her fearsome expression. He had no doubt in his mind that she wouldn't hesitate to kill him. That she wouldn't stop at anything to get what she wanted.

How could he have been so blind all this time?

Guinea-Bissau had sent them a message with the identities of more of Requiem's members, and they immediately worked to sever those ties. They didn't want anything to do with those nations. In fact, Togo didn't even wait until he was back in Africa before he called his government to sever ties with Mexico. He didn't want her to influence his land in any way.

"Are you okay?" Burkina Faso asked.

He turned towards her and smirked. The Western Africans had decided that they were going to stay close together at Mali's house. Benin and Ghana weren't with them, due to their decision to join Alvora, and Sierra Leone, Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde were originally members of Alvora.

Guinea was still a little upset that he hadn't noticed that Guinea-Bissau and Equatorial Guinea had gone behind his back.

"I'd just like some coffee," Togo said.

She gave him a small smile, before disappearing. Togo slumped in the chair. He really _was_ tired. He was feeling the effects of cutting off ties to so many nations at once. He only hoped that Alvora compensated them for their sacrifice.

…

"Alright," France said, placing a tray with snacks on the table in the centre of the room. Spain arrived with a tray of drinks. "Now, what is this about?"

"A conspiracy," China said.

Prussia narrowed his eyes, but said nothing.

"What exactly is that supposed to mean?" Spain asked.

"We discovered that there is a group of nations planning to start a war, or something," China sighed. "They're the ones responsible for everyone's deaths. And that's only one of the things we know about."

"What else?" Prussia asked.

"It's an old problem among us that our regions have a tendency to disappear," Russia said. "We now know what the reason is: they've been performing experiments on them."

"What?!" France asked, eyes widened in horror.

"We spoke to America's state, Texas," China said. "She was once one of those regions before escaping. She said that Mexico is a member of that group."

"What?" Spain asked, his own eyes widening.

"In fact, Argentina, Philippines, Peru, Chile and Venezuela are also nations that have been identified as part of this group," Russia said, eyes trailing towards Spain. "They are all former colonies of yours, correct?"

Spain said nothing, and merely collapsed on the couch.

"We don't know who else is part of this or how many members there are," China said.

"Don't tell me you suspect Toni?" Prussia demanded.

"Well, considering they _are_ his colonies…"

" _Former_ colonies. You have no idea what could have happened to them since they gained independence. Or are _you_ still the Yoke of Tartar?"

Russia narrowed his eyes, his smile coming into play. China shuddered, before he turned to Spain.

"I don't think Spain is involved in this in any way," Ukraine said.

"Danke," Prussia said.

"Why do you say that?" Estonia asked, turning to Ukraine.

"Because they don't like Spain that much," Ukraine said. "Mexico, Argentina and Philippines once got in a fight with Belgium at one of the female nations' meetings about Spain. The things they said about him… I'm sorry!" The last part was directed at Spain, who had gained an insulted look upon hearing what Ukraine had to say.

"That _is_ the risk of an empire," France sighed. "You are so obsessed with power that you don't realise that the ones under you are unhappy. That they grow to despise you."

"You have experience?" China asked.

"…A few incidents, oui."

"But the fact remains, we have no way of knowing if a nation is a member of them or not," Russia said. "Anyone in this room could be a member."

"I'm innocent," Prussia said immediately. "There's no way I would have played a part in murdering my klein Bruder. Not after raising him."

"Gilbert has a point," France said. "He wouldn't have raised Germany just to kill him."

"And what about _you_?" China asked. "How do we know _you're_ not a part of this?"

France looked affronted, and narrowed his eyes.

"If you suspected me, then why did you come?" he asked.

"To see if you can be trusted," Russia said simply. "Because we need to be strong together."

"Franny isn't part of this either," Prussia said.

"How can you be sure?" China asked.

"Because I trust my friends."

"Hold on a moment," France said, frowning. "The nations attacked… Japan, England, Germany and America. What do all of them have in common?"

"The fact that they're strong?" China suggested.

"The G7," Russia said. "But that still raises the question about _your_ survival."

"I wonder…" France mused. "This happened almost a week ago, if the sudden death toll is anything to go by in their countries. Around the same time, I received a call from Switzerland, but it was strange. He asked me if I was home, saying that there was something that he wanted to discuss, but when I said that I was in Madrid, he simply hung up. And he also didn't try approaching me at the meeting. With everything that happened, I forgot about it until now."

"Do you think Switzerland might be part of this too?" China asked.

"If he _is_ , then he's the ideal nation," Prussia said. "His neutrality makes him perfect for doing things in secret. He might have called France to confirm that he was indeed home in order to kill him."

France shuddered.

"That thought is a bit frightening," France said.

"And Canada's sick," Russia said. "We saw that for ourselves. So, either he was behind it too, or they forgot about him."

"Not if Mexico's involved," Spain said. "She has – had – a soft spot for Canada. She wouldn't forget him. But maybe they decided to keep him alive _because_ of that soft spot."

"Perhaps," China said, frowning. "They got rid of some of the strongest nations and…"

He froze, eyes widening.

"After the G7, it's you two," Prussia said.

"We haven't been threatened yet," Russia said.

"And that also proves Canada's innocence!" Ukraine exclaimed excitedly.

"How so?" Russia asked curiously.

"It makes sense," Hong Kong said, glancing towards Russia. "You guys were at his home. You were vulnerable. If he wanted to kill you, he would have. And then it would just be China."

"He has a point," Estonia said. "If Canada intended to kill you, then he would have. And he also wouldn't have let the rest of us go."

"Should we invite Canada to join us too?" China asked.

"We should probably just call him to warn him," France said. "So, with this information, what are we going to do about it?"

"We need to see who else could be a member," Russia said. "Go to them one by one and convince them to talk."

" _Your_ type of convincing?" Prussia asked.

"Da, of course."

"It won't work. I find that getting someone drunk is a good way to hear all their deepest, darkest secrets."

"There are a lot of nations that can handle their alcohol very well," France said.

"But everyone has a point where they'll spill their guts. Take Denmark for example. After about eight mugs of beer, he starts talking about the colour of his underwear. After nine, he talks about the type of person he's interested in. He likes blonds with green eyes."

"Not blue?" France asked, confused. "I was sure that he was interested in Norway."

"Apparently not."

"So, are we splitting up?" China asked.

"We can wait a while, until we've come up with a better strategy," France said. "Besides, you must be tired after all that travelling. So, why don't you wait and rest a while?"

"That sounds nice," Taiwan said, stretching in her seat.

"When we separate again, I plan to go to Tibet," China said. "I'm a bit worried about him, and something's been tugging at me."

…

Tibet grunted in pain, bending over. He had been tied to a pillar in one of the few houses still standing. South Korea brought back his fist, a smirk on his face.

"You're pretty tough, aren't you?" South asked, before looking up. "No rain yet."

The roof of the building was gone, and Tibet shivered as he saw the overcast sky.

"Why are you doing this?" Tibet demanded.

"…I hope China feels this," South said. "I didn't sever your connection, after all. He _should_ feel it. And it would be better, once it starts to rain."

South whipped out a knife, and Tibet's eyes widened as he saw the gleaming blade.

 **Remember when I said I knew I fooled you? Yeah, Hungary isn't Alvora, she's Requiem. I purposely left it vague. No matter which group he was, Austria would have reacted to the word 'requiem', and if he** _ **did**_ **react, then there was a chance that Hungary would have exposed herself. The last scene in chapter 14, if you're interested in rereading.**

 **And there was a Hungarian countess Elizabeth Báthory, who is often associated with the vampire myth. And Hungary's indulgence leans closer to vampirism than cannibalism, but seeing as she's not the mythical creature, it can be counted as cannibalism. See? I told you I had one or two Europeans in mind.**


	30. Chapter 29

**Thanks to AquaEclipse for reviewing.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 29**

"It's extremely overcast," Hout Bay said, glancing at the sky.

Western Sahara bit her lip. She had opted to take a plane to go check on Tunisia personally, but what she was seeing wasn't looking promising. It was bad enough that she had to fly _around_ Algeria (it was no longer just the capital that was affected), but now she saw that Tunisia was also apparently suffering from something.

She landed at the nearest airport after having her landing cleared, and the two of them rented a car to get to Tunisia's house. And what they saw was Tunisia's door ajar, and with him nowhere in sight. Combined with the report of rain she'd seen earlier…

"I think it's safe to say that Requiem has him," Sahara said.

"Are you sure about it?" Hout Bay asked.

"I'm positive. Well, if push comes to shove, Imane should be able to track him down."

…

"Can they be trusted?" New Mexico asked.

"I don't know," Texas admitted on the other side of the line. "They _did_ rescue a group of states held captive by Requiem, but it might be a trap."

New Mexico bit her lip. Like Texas, she had been under the control of Requiem. And like Texas, she had managed to escape, along with California. Arizona, Utah and Nevada were fortunate that they came into existence later. They were spared the torture.

The three of them had decided that they would split up. They didn't want to risk the possibility of being caught by Mexico, or at the very least, if one of them was caught, then the others would still be safe.

However, the revelation of this other group was a game changer. If they could stand up to Requiem, then it would have been worth it to stay around one of them, right?

She had been driving around, unsure of where to go. She was currently somewhere in northern Colorado, and wondered how long it would take him to decide that he wanted her out of his land. Perhaps he hadn't sensed her yet?

"Where exactly are you now?" New Mexico asked.

"I'm in Montreal," Texas said.

"Then I think I'll join you. Anything is better than this uncertainty. Have you told Mia yet?"

"No, not yet."

"I think we should let her know too. We'll see if they can be trusted. If not, then at least we know how to fight."

Texas chuckled on the other end.

"We should have thanked Alfred when we had… SHIT!"

New Mexico jumped in surprise.

"What is it?!" she asked in alarm. "What happened?"

"…You know how Massachusetts enjoys popping in?" Texas asked, her tone dry. "Someone _else_ likes to do it."

New Mexico laughed in relief.

"I'll see you soon," she said. "And don't forget to call Mia."

The call was disconnected, and New Mexico started the car again. It was an abandoned stretch of road, but she wasn't going to take a chance. She wasn't like some of the other states that drove recklessly. And she _barely_ looked sixteen (she was still physically fifteen, but her face was mature, and so she could pass herself as a bit older), and she didn't want to have her licence revoked after _finally_ getting it.

…

Texas hung up the phone, staring blankly at the new arrivals. She recognised Canada easily, but the two accompanying him were unknown to her. One was a nation, no doubt about it, but the other wasn't exactly a state, nor was he a nation. Actually, he felt the same as Hong Kong and Macau did.

"Thanks Vlad," Canada said, smiling brightly.

"No problem," 'Vlad' said, panting slightly.

"Are you okay?" the third member of their party asked, to which the other waved him off.

"Nice to see you Hannes," Quebec said, greeting the other. "It's been a while."

Hannes smiled.

"It has, Olivier," Hannes said. "So, how's Abigail doing?"

Quebec sighed, rolling his eyes, but with a smile on his face.

"You know, the sooner you ask my sister out, the better it would be for everyone," Quebec said.

"If everything's alright," 'Vlad' said, "then I'll be leaving now. I've got a few other deliveries to make."

Canada's expression grew sober as he nodded.

"Good luck," he said, before he turned towards Texas. "I'm sorry to hear about everything you went through."

Texas kept her eyes on 'Vlad' as he disappeared, before focusing her attention on Canada.

"I hope you realise that I still don't trust you," she said.

"I don't blame you, after everything you've been through," Canada said. "I would have been suspicious if you _did_ trust us."

Texas narrowed her eyes slightly.

"Anyway, New Mexico seems to think that we should give y'all a chance, and I still need to hear what California has to say about this. Ava said she's coming."

Canada nodded and smiled.

"Thank you for telling me," he said.

Texas scoffed, before storming off. She still wasn't willing to trust them, but she couldn't deny that they were better than Requiem so far.

…

Bangladesh walked into his kitchen to see that Nepal was busy cooking. He blinked in surprise, before cocking his head to the side.

"What exactly are you doing?" he asked.

Nepal turned to him with a smile.

"What does it look like?" he asked. "I'm making lunch."

"But… _why_?" Bangladesh asked. "It's my house. You're a guest. You shouldn't be cooking."

"But I want to," Nepal said as he added a few herbs. "You were kind enough to invite us to stay. This is the least I could do."

Bangladesh sighed, before he allowed Nepal to do what he wanted. He decided to see what the others were doing.

He found Bhutan in his room, apparently sleeping again. The other had been really tired recently. But what bothered Bangladesh was how pale and drenched he was. He was also thrashing about, and his sleep wasn't restful.

"Loday!" Bangladesh exclaimed, rushing towards Bhutan.

He desperately tried to shake the other awake, but that was when he noticed that he was muttering something.

"Jampa…" Bhutan muttered.

Bangladesh frowned. Was Bhutan having a nightmare about Tibet?

"Wake up," Bangladesh urged.

Bhutan's eyes snapped open, and the expression was blank. It actually scared Bangladesh a little. Bhutan then curled up, gripping his stomach.

"Are you okay?" Bangladesh asked.

Bhutan shook his head.

"I don't know what's wrong with me," he said. "I keep having nightmares. Fire. Pain. Betrayal."

Bangladesh stared at Bhutan for a moment.

"You don't think you could be having prophetic dreams, do you?" he asked.

Bhutan looked at him in alarm.

"I hope not," he said. "If that's the case, then… someone close to us is going to betray us."

Bangladesh nodded his head.

"I'm going to call Laos," he said. "He's the expert on this. Meanwhile, I want you to go splash your face with cold water. See if you can calm down."

…

Laos frowned as he listened to Bangladesh's description of Bhutan's condition over the phone. He was _supposed_ to be helping Vietnam in the garden, but this was more important.

"I'm not sure," Laos said. "It _might_ be prophetic dreams, but it might also just be a series of nightmares. However, I've had a few odd dreams myself. A number of budding flowers suddenly blooming, for example. It might be that Bhutan's prophetic powers are awakening. But I've also felt a sense of betrayal in some of my dreams, but nothing specific."

"What should we do about this?" Bangladesh asked.

"If they _are_ prophetic dreams, then Bhutan has to learn to retain them. Forgetting them could only lead to more trouble. But remembering them can also be painful."

"Okay, but how do we do that?"

"Meditation. Get him into a trance. If you want me to come, I'll be happy to."

"No, that's fine. Just tell me what I have to do."

…

Morocco ignored the others as she sat in her bedroom. She was staring at her phone.

Sahara had told her that Tunisia was missing, and that his sky was overcast. To make matters worse, there had been a rain shower earlier, which meant that something had happened, but he had calmed down.

First her sister, and now her brother. What was Requiem doing to them?

She sighed, focusing on her brother. Ever since signing the contract, her connection to him was stronger. She could track him down, seeing as he was technically her 'colony' now.

She frowned when she was assaulted by cold, and a facility came into view. This was only in her mind's eye, but she tried to press forward. She finally found Tunisia, shivering in a cell. His chest was bloody, and she felt nauseous when she realised that those were teeth marks.

She didn't know which country he was in, just that he was alive, but captured by Requiem. The fact that she couldn't tell which country he was in told her that there was something seriously wrong with the place.

She would need to ask Equatorial Guinea to help her. She needed to get her brother to safety as soon as possible.

…

Nepal smirked as he looked over the other three. Bhutan, Myanmar and Bangladesh were all unconscious at the dining room table. The drugs worked.

His eyes focused on Bhutan. The other's ability was growing, but it still wasn't at the level where he would have been able to see him coming. Still, he supposed that he should take him to Italy. Having an oracle on their side would prove to be an advantage.

And as for the others…

Nepal sighed. He had actually liked India. He had hoped to only capture the other nation, but with the revelation that he was part of Alvora, Nepal knew that he needed to hurt him as much as possible. And hurting the other three would be a part of that.

Well, two out of the three. Bhutan was potentially useful, once they awakened his abilities.

He frowned when someone knocked on the door. This wasn't his land, so he didn't know who it could be. And Bangladesh didn't mention anything about guests. With any luck, it was just some random human.

He decided to leave it. Whoever was at the door wasn't import-

There was a crash from the door, and Nepal flinched.

"Nepal! Where are you?!"

Nepal blinked in confusion. India? What was _he_ doing here? And… why did he suspect him? After all, as far as he knew, his connection to Requiem wasn't revealed.

He could hear India's running footsteps, and he glanced towards the other three. He needed to think of something, fast. Either way, he would be taking Bhutan.

India stalked in, and Nepal was placed between Myanmar and Bhutan, smiling brightly.

"Nice to see you again, Raj," Nepal said cheerfully.

"Cut the crap!" India shouted. "I know you're part of Requiem." He glanced towards the other three. "What did you do to them?"

"It's just a little sleeping drug," Nepal said, shrugging. "But what _I_ want to know is how you knew that I was a part of Requiem. Who told you?"

"You have a colour-coded map in the office of your little base. It's really not hard to figure it out."

"Oh, you mean the base in Greece. That's annoying."

India took a step forward, and Nepal brandished a knife, its serrated edge slightly red from what wasn't rust.

"Don't even think about it," Nepal said. "I won't hesitate in killing them. I should have really done this after breakfast, but Bangladesh made breakfast before I had the opportunity."

"What do you want?" India demanded.

Nepal glanced towards Bhutan and smirked.

"How about we make a deal?" he asked. "I'll take Bhutan, and you take the other two."

"No deal!" India said immediately. "You are not taking any of them."

"I have no intention of killing Bhutan, I promise you."

"You just said you wouldn't hesitate in killing them."

"But Bhutan is a special case. The balance of the world is skewed. What was once asleep is waking."

"What are you talking about?"

"So, you haven't noticed it? Pity. Then I guess it falls to me. It really doesn't matter if you know about it or not. You're aware of the fact that many nations have dormant magic, I'm sure. The magic is no longer lying dormant. It's awakening, but without the proper aid, it could spell disaster for the nations involved, or the ones surrounding them."

"And you want Bhutan because of his latent magic waking?"

"Pretty much. Oracles can be very valuable, after all."

"Too bad! I'm not allowing you to take him!"

"Careful," Nepal said, bringing his knife closer towards Myanmar. "You know, I actually _did_ like you. I didn't think that you would have made a good member for Requiem, but I also didn't want to have to kill you. You were supposed to be one of the nations we kept alive, but captive."

India growled slightly, but straightened.

"On that note," India said, "what have you done to the African prisoners?"

Nepal smirked.

"I'd say you have more important things to worry about," he said. "Such as Bangladesh and Myanmar. What are you going to do when they wake up and see you looking at me with such hatred?"

"I'm sure that it would be better than their reactions when they see _you_ with that knife in your hands," India said.

"I'm sure I can convince them that I only grabbed this out of self-defence. After all, you were the one that chose not to come with the rest of us. And to think, if you _did_ , then we wouldn't be standing here right now. Neither of us would have known about the other's allegiance."

"And how do you figure _that_?"

"Simple. You wouldn't have gone on the rescue mission with the others, and you wouldn't have seen the map with my name. You wouldn't have been seen with the others either."

"That's where you're wrong. We keep in touch. We report _everything_. Even if I didn't go, I would have known about your allegiance."

Nepal narrowed his eyes.

"On the subject of last night…" he said. "You and Israel? That's a bit surprising. I figured you would have preferred a European."

"David _is_ European," India said. "And that has nothing to do with that."

"No, I suppose not. But regarding your little lover boy… Egypt had _really_ been looking forward to recruiting him. He thought that he would have understood him. But alas, that's not how it's meant to be. Egypt's upset."

India narrowed his eyes.

"And I'm going to guess that he's planning to retaliate," India said.

"Oh, he's already set his plan into motion."

He was interrupted by a groan, and he looked down at the other three.

"The drug wasn't too strong," he muttered. "I was only supposed to have enough time to tie them up. Oh well."

He put the knife away, before he grabbed Bhutan with one hand and retrieved a device with the other. India immediately tensed.

"What are you…?" he demanded.

"I'd love to stay and chat, but my time is limited," Nepal said. "We'll continue this another time then."

He pushed a button on the device, and the familiar sensation overcame him as he disappeared with Bhutan.

…

India gritted his teeth in frustration and fear when he saw Nepal disappear with Bhutan.

"Shit," he muttered.

A groan snapped him out of his frustration. He still had two other friends to help, and then he needed to report this.

…

Italy and Romano were debating what to do when there was a sudden flash in front of them. They stopped and waited, and soon they saw Nepal, with an unconscious Bhutan at his feet.

"What happened?" Romano asked.

"India knew," Nepal said. "Alvora saw the map."

The two brothers turned around and cursed.

"Damn," Romano said, "that means they know who's part of our group. Well, that's what _they_ think."

"At least you brought Bhutan with you," Italy said. "Now, we just need to get his eyes to start working properly."

…

Indonesia watched Romania work in fascination. The Eastern European had a map of the Philippines open on his computer, because he never thought that he would be the one that needed to have a map of Philippines and only Philippines. His map of South-East Asia would interfere with the tracking process, for some strange reason. Probably because it was too broad an area.

Singapore's shirt was next to Romania, glowing slightly. Indonesia knew that Romania was using it to try to find Singapore. But he was starting to worry about the European.

"Vlad," he said at last, "I think you should take a break."

"No," Romania said, "I need to find her, before Requiem manages to do whatever they want with her."

And just as he said it, a red dot appeared on the screen. Romania paused, before he smirked.

"I think I managed to narrow it down," he said.

"Alright, thanks," Indonesia said, standing from his chair. "Now you need to get some rest."

"But…"

"You need your rest. I may not know that much about magic, but I know that you're exhausting yourself. You need to sleep."

Romania stared at him for a while before he nodded in defeat. Just as he stood up, East Timor burst into the room.

"Good news," Indonesia said, "Vlad figured out where Aminah is."

"Great," East Timor said distractedly. "I need to check something on the computer."

They stood aside and allowed him to continue. After a while he cursed.

"I knew it," he muttered.

"What is it?" Indonesia asked.

"I started feeling sick a little while ago, and I started probing to see if there's something happening in my country. I was right. Dili was bombed. There are already over one thousand confirmed casualties."

Indonesia gritted his teeth when he heard what happened to his brother.

"Requiem," he spat.


	31. Chapter 30

**Thanks to AquaEclipse for reviewing.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 30**

After East Timor's announcement, everyone in Alvora immediately set to work on finding all of the explosives in their respective countries. The trick was then to get rid of them without alerting Requiem about what they were doing. And then there was also the matter of making sure that they didn't accidentally set them off.

The South Africas also had the added pressure of having Netherlands's aid. The Dutchmen were eager to help, but they couldn't risk Netherlands finding out about them.

White was currently in the ruins of Cape Town, overseeing their efforts. They weren't aware that she was there, but that didn't matter. She already knew that there weren't any survivors. The survivors had already moved on.

The loss of her oldest city was a bitter pill to swallow. And it was a bitter pill for the rest of the country as well. It had been the most effective way to get the humans involved in the war against Requiem.

But White knew that they needed _more_. They needed more help. Help that couldn't easily be defeated, nor identified.

She closed her eyes, and she knew that in the eastern part of the country, Black would be doing the same thing. She focused on the lands. On the mines. On the farms. On the roads. On the buildings. On _everything_ non-living that made up South Africa.

And she started seeing the bombs.

She forced them to the surface, and she knew that the humans would take over from there. They had safe places where they could get rid of all of the bombs.

This was a technique that every nation had the potential of doing, but none of them really did it because of how much energy it took. Nations, by nature, shared a deeper connection with their humans, and only felt the connection with their lands when damage was sustained. Very few outside of Alvora would do anything to influence the land itself.

If she wanted, she could rebuild Cape Town all over again. She remembered exactly how everything had been. And if anything, she needed to provide the now homeless people with their old homes. But that would also require more energy than she had at her disposal.

She stood on the Unfinished Highway, and she found it ironic that this was probably the only part of the entire city that remained untouched. But now she needed to go to Table Bay. She had two people to see.

As she was walking, she looked up to the sky. A storm was brewing. That was good.

She stopped on the beach, and she waited for a while. Soon, she could see the outline of an approaching ship, and she grinned. Her magic might have been dormant, and it might not have been ready to wake up, but she could still manage _something_.

It was only a matter of time before the captain of the ship stood before her, and he was soon joined by a force of nature, the famous storm that had terrified the Europeans.

"Hendrik," she greeted. "Adamastor."

"It's been a while since you called on us," Adamastor asked. "Especially both of us at the same time."

"I know. There's a war brewing. Another group, Requiem, has revealed themselves, and their methods are not the same as nations in the past."

"I see," Hendrik van der Dekken said. "And you want _us_ to help you?"

"They destroyed Cape Town."

The two spirits looked towards each other, and there was a faint trace of anger.

"If they don't use normal methods," Adamastor said at last, "then _we_ won't use normal methods either."

"Just tell us where to go," Van der Dekken said.

White smiled. She knew that she could rely on the storm of the Cape of Storms and the captain of the _Flying Dutchman_ to help her. Neither would admit it, but they were fond of her and her country, and the city near the place they called home. They would do anything to avenge it.

They would retaliate against Requiem, and they would do so in a way that would not be traced to them. They had both nature and the supernatural on their side. And much more to come.

…

When Andorra arrived at France's house, he was surprised to see Spain open the door. The other nation smiled when he saw him.

"Buenos dias, Nicolás," Spain greeted. "Francis told me that you would be coming."

Andorra did _not_ look forward to being with both Spain and France in the same building. He _seriously_ hoped that there were other nations there as well. But still, he forced a smile on his face.

"Hola, Antonio," Andorra greeted. "Any idea what this is about?"

Spain winced, and Andorra arched an eyebrow. He knew that there was definitely _something_ there.

"You may want to come inside," Spain said. "There's a lot you need to hear."

Andorra felt his stomach drop. What could it be? He followed Spain inside, eager to learn what the reason could be for his being called to Paris.

Andorra suddenly gasped in pain, clutching his head. Spain noticed that something was going on, and came up to him with a face full of worry.

"Are you alright?" Spain asked.

"Yeah… I'm just… My head hurts," Andorra said. "It's been doing this since the last meeting. I was hoping that France might check for me."

"You'll need to ask him about it. Do you want some water?"

Andorra shook his head. The pain had already passed. For now, he needed to focus on the most important thing – the reason why he was called here, and why Spain looked so concerned.

…

"This is insane," Myanmar said, staring towards the table in disbelief.

After Bangladesh and Myanmar had woken up, India knew that he had the difficult task of explaining to them exactly what was going on. He tried to explain in as much detail as possible, but he could see that they were overwhelmed.

Not to mention, it had taken a while to calm them down after they learned that Bhutan had been kidnapped.

India waited a while, giving them an opportunity to process what had happened. He would need to make a new plan. They only knew where one base was, and the chances of Nepal taking Bhutan _there_ were very slim. And if it was another location which had a shield against magic, then they were in trouble.

If Bhutan really _had_ prophetic powers, then it made sense that he would be considered valuable. But he also knew that Bhutan wouldn't willingly do anything to harm another nation, and that would ultimately be what would happen if he stayed in Requiem's clutches. And India could only imagine the methods that Requiem would employ to get Bhutan to be even remotely helpful.

"If what you're saying is true," Bangladesh said, "then why didn't you say anything? If your motives _were_ pure, you could have told us. Didn't you trust us?"

"It's more complicated than that," India said.

"Why? If you were really working to better the circumstances for nations – stop unnecessary conflict, and stop the needless deaths – then why couldn't you have _told_ us? How are we supposed to believe that what you told us is true?"

India sighed.

"I didn't tell you because I didn't know if you would have been willing to go against the will of your people," India said. "I remember when I was first recruited. It's not easy, turning your back on everything you've known before. There were times when I thought I'd warn others against what Alvora was doing – after all, I essentially considered it to be blasphemy. I only snapped out of it when I saw the difference between how Alvora treated me and how other nations treated me."

"So, you decided that you would join them because they were nice to you?" Myanmar asked incredulously.

"They treated me like a _person_ ," India said. "They didn't treat me like some prize to be won. They didn't treat me like a strategic location. They treated me like Rajesh, not India. Because we're more than our borders. We're more than politics. We're more than our people. The nations of Alvora saw me for _me_ , not my people, and that was why I decided to join them. They gave me the choice to turn them away, and that's what made the difference. They gave me a _choice_." India averted his gaze. "They made the offer to Sri Lanka as well, but he turned them down. And I was afraid of telling you, and having _you_ turn us down too."

Bangladesh and Myanmar were silent as they listened to India. Bangladesh leaned back, running a hand through his hair.

"Like you said, it's difficult to turn your back on what you knew," he said. "But it still hurts that you lied to us. You could have warned us at the meeting."

"Warned you?" India repeated.

"About this other group… What are they called again?"

"Requiem. And it wouldn't have been easy. First, we risked exposing ourselves. Second, we had no idea how many there were, or _who_ they were. Third, telling you would have put you in danger. When a group of them were outed at the African meeting, they retaliated by bombing several capitals…"

"Several?" Myanmar repeated. "I thought it was just Cape Town suffering from bombing?"

"Other cities were attacked as well. We only mentioned Cape Town because it was directly connected to the African meeting, and the missing nations. And Lesotho being injured wasn't a lie. His capital was bombed as well. When they saw that they couldn't hurt any of us, they hurt an innocent bystander."

"And if you said anything at the meeting, then they would have retaliated in a violent way," Bangladesh said. "But, what purpose does having our capitals bombed serve, other than inconveniencing us?"

"It's possible to kill a nation if their capital is attacked. The more damage, the more likely death would occur if they decided to stab you in the heart."

The other two winced.

"Okay, so I understand why you didn't announce it to the world," Bangladesh said. "But why didn't you tell _us_?"

"I didn't know if you could be trusted," India admitted. "For a long time, we didn't know which nations were members. We only found out with certainty last night. And if I told you, and even one of you was Requiem, then that one would have hurt the others as well, with the cover being blown and all. When I came here, Nepal mentioned something about intending to tie you up. I could only imagine what he wanted to do. And he also said that he wouldn't hesitate in killing you."

The other two shivered. India had managed to convince them earlier that Nepal was the enemy instead of him by pointing out that the food they ate was drugged, long before India even arrived, and Bangladesh confirmed that Nepal had cooked. They also couldn't see a logical reason why Nepal would have drugged their food, at least not a benevolent reason.

"What is he planning to do with Loday?" Myanmar asked.

"I have my suspicions," India sighed. "He mentioned that his latent magic is awakening, and that oracles can be very valuable."

"He's been having nightmares," Bangladesh said. "He said that he felt fire, pain and betrayal. That someone close to us would betray us. Now we know who it is."

"But there wasn't a fire," Myanmar said, confused.

"He also mentioned Tibet at some point. He was muttering in his sleep."

India bit his lip.

"Tibet isn't an easy person to find," he said. "If he's in danger, then it's going to be tricky to come and help him. But, there _is_ a way to see if he's in danger. I just need to borrow your internet connection."

…

Bhutan was too scared to open his eyes. He knew that once he did, he would see something that he didn't want to.

The moment he regained consciousness, he couldn't help but feel an underlying sense of unease. Of betrayal. It was stronger than before. As though the betrayal wouldn't _come_ anymore, but already _came_.

That was why he kept his eyes closed. He didn't want to see the traitor's face. And he knew that that would be the first thing he saw. He could hear movement from somewhere in front of him. And he could feel that his hands were tied behind his back while he was lying on his side.

There was a sigh, and Bhutan felt his stomach jolt. That sigh sounded familiar.

"I know you're awake," the traitor said. "So, why don't we stop these games and move on to more important matters?"

Ice filled his veins. He knew the voice well. It was someone he'd heard speak before going to sleep. Which… made sense, considering… he was drugged and… tied up.

Bhutan continued to keep his eyes closed, not wanting to see Nepal's face. He didn't want to give the other any satisfaction. Nepal groaned.

"If you really want to do it like this, I'm more than willing," he said. "So, either you open your eyes _now_ , or we do this the hard way."

Bhutan shuddered, before fearfully opening his eyes. He saw exactly who he expected to see: Nepal sitting on a chair in front of him.

He realised that he was lying on a bed, and Nepal's chair was faced sideways. Nepal had been doing something at the desk, but Bhutan could see nothing from his vantage point. He realised that this wasn't Bangladesh's house, and that there was a faint smell of blood in the room.

"What do you want with me?" Bhutan demanded.

"I see your prophetic powers haven't been fully awakened yet," Nepal said. "Then again, it's only been a few days. I'm not surprised. But I'm also surprised that you're not asking what's going on."

"That's too vague a question. I want specific answers."

"And here I thought that oracles are all about being vague."

It was the second time in less than a minute that Nepal had mentioned something about prophesy or oracles. Bhutan realised that he'd found the answer to his question.

"If you wanted an oracle, you should have gone to Laos," Bhutan said.

"The problem is, Laos is set in his ways," Nepal said. "There would be no point. _You_ , on the other hand, still have so much potential. And if we can force that potential to be pushed beyond its limits, then you could easily be the most powerful oracle in the world."

Bhutan struggled a bit. He had the feeling that things were about to go far south.

"Why?" Bhutan demanded. "Why are you doing this?"

"That's too vague," Nepal said. "I thought you wanted specific answers."

"Why did you betray me?!"

"I was never loyal to you. Our entire friendship was based on a lie. I was fond of you, but I never saw you as a friend."

Bhutan flinched. Nepal's words hurt him more than he thought they would. But he didn't have long to ponder them as Nepal stood.

"Unless you have any other questions, I think we should begin," he said.

"What did you do to Jampa?" Bhutan asked weakly.

"So, you know that _something's_ happening to him? I told South Korea where to find him. He's being tortured right now, just so that China could suffer. China has no other way to contact him, so he'd want to check on him personally. Tibet is the bait for China's trap."

Bhutan felt sick when he heard Nepal's words. So, he wasn't the only one that Nepal had betrayed. And what about…?

"And what about Bangladesh and Myanmar?" he asked weakly.

"They're with India," Nepal said dismissively, a look of annoyance on his face.

Bhutan didn't think his heart could handle any more. So, India was part of this as well?

He didn't have long to ponder this. Nepal pushed him onto his back, before taking out some tape. Bhutan whined when Nepal started taping his eyelids, forcing the orbs hidden behind to remain open.

He could already tell where this was going, and tried to struggle despite Nepal sitting on his waist. He winced at the pressure on his arms, and Nepal brought out what looked like an acupuncture needle.

"Hold still," Nepal said absently. "I don't want to hurt you more than necessary. And I don't want to miss."

Bhutan continued to struggle, and Nepal sighed, before he stood up and returned to the desk. This time, he carried a syringe.

"You really forced my hand this time," he said.

Bhutan cried out in pain when the needle pierced his skin, but he continued to struggle. He panicked when he realised that his movements became more difficult, and then they wouldn't come at all.

"That's better," Nepal said, before he straddled his waist again. "Let's try this again, shall we? Keep your eye on the prize."

Bhutan had no choice as the needle drew closer, his gaze focused on the sharp point. He couldn't move his mouth, but his lungs and vocal chords still worked. He screamed in pain when the needle's tip pierced his pupil.

And he saw something. He saw India standing across from Nepal. Both of them had weapons drawn as they stared at each other with hate.

India and Nepal were enemies. India never betrayed him. This came as a relief, even as one of his eyes was damaged and the sight in that eye was stolen.

"One down," Nepal muttered. "One to go."

He pulled the needle out of Bhutan's eye, and turned it towards the other eye. Bhutan could still vaguely see the bloody point approaching his other eye, and he screamed yet again.

This time, he saw Tibet, being tied to a pillar. He was dripping wet, and South Korea was standing over him. And then the Korean brought out a lighter.

 **The Foreshore Freeway Bridge, otherwise known as the Unfinished Highway, is a tourist attraction in Cape Town. You can do an image search.**

 **Many of the legends surrounding The Flying Dutchman mention it being near Cape Town. Specifically, the storms of the Cape of Storms (Adamastor) caused the ship to become a ghost ship.**


	32. Chapter 31

**Thanks to Ate Luya, Scarllett83 and AquaEclipse for reviewing.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 31**

Gabon entered the living room to see Congo sitting cross-legged on the couch with a laptop on his lap, biting his lip as he stared at the screen. Every now and again he would glance towards the TV, which had been almost permanently set on a news channel. In fact, Congo had been in the same position since they returned from the meeting, only leaving occasionally for the bathroom. He slept on the couch, and his meals took place there as well.

Gabon didn't blame him. Congo was worried about his brother, and he kept his eyes on the news in order to search for clues to DRC's circumstance.

It wasn't positive.

Gabon and Cameroon had been worried about him, and so had accompanied Congo to his home. Niger was worried about Nigeria, and along with Chad, had accompanied them as well. But Niger wasn't nearly as obsessed with news as Congo was. He would check in once an hour, but otherwise he would communicate with his government to keep the situation in Nigeria under control.

One thing that they noticed was that both of the missing nations experienced civil unrest, more than what should be considered normal. And the weather in the countries was also alarming. There had even been an earthquake with Abuja as the epicentre. That was more than just coincidence.

Gabon observed his neighbour for a while before he turned and left, pulling out his phone. He had another neighbour that he needed to speak to.

"Didier? What is it?"

Gabon closed his eyes, clenching his teeth. Equatorial Guinea _knew_ that he hated it when he was called by his human name. But he still seemed to have this strange impulse.

"Do you have any news about DRC and Nigeria?" he asked.

There was a sigh on the other end.

"No, but we _are_ looking," Equatorial Guinea said. "We were a bit distracted. Tiago was captured as well."

Gabon's eyes widened. Sao Tomé had been captured?

"So, now you're looking for him?" he asked.

"We managed to find him," Equatorial Guinea said. "They didn't take him where they took the others. We're still trying. Tunisia's also been captured, but Imane can only tell that he's somewhere cold. I was actually helping her when you called."

It was a bit annoying that Equatorial Guinea kept referring to the others by their human names. Gabon never knew him to do that, but then again, there was a lot he didn't know about him.

"…Out of a strategic point," Gabon said, "what are you going to do now?"

"Well, we know the identities of everyone that's part of Requiem now," Equatorial Guinea said.

"We got the message."

"There are nations that went with some of those members. Our priority is making sure that they stay safe. But they know about more of our members as well. Not everyone, I hope, but they know about more of us."

"And are you _sure_ that you know about all of them? There could still be other members."

"…We'll look into it. Anything else?"

"Oui. I hope you realise the state Congo is in. If he doesn't hear news of his brother soon…"

"I'm working on it. Trust me, I want to save them as much as you do. But until we know _where_ they are, we can do nothing about it."

Gabon clenched his jaw. While he knew that Equatorial Guinea had a point, he didn't like the fact that they could do nothing.

"Start looking in the territories they control," Gabon said.

"We've already started expanding our search," Equatorial Guinea said.

…

Wales stumbled into the kitchen, rubbing his eyes. He made his way to the coffeemaker and started the device.

"Well, _someone_ finally wandered in."

He didn't react to the voice, except perhaps by gritting his teeth. After what he'd seen the previous night, this was the last voice that he wanted to hear. But he would endure it for the others' sake. And besides, there was a chance that he would endanger the other two if he revealed his knowledge of the other's true identity.

A bowl was pushed in front of him, and he idly noticed that it was filled with cereal.

"You're a bit too late for breakfast," Ireland said. "But too early for lunch. Anyway, this should at the very least keep you full until lunch."

Wales hesitated for a moment before he accepted the bowl.

"Thanks," he said, and he winced at how hoarse his voice was.

"…Did you have a rough night or something?" Ireland asked.

"Or something," Wales said, before taking a bite of the cereal.

It disturbed him how normal Ireland was acting. This was a nation that tortured their counties – younger siblings. And then there was the possibility that Ireland was the one that killed England. The one that brutally murdered their brother.

And as though that wasn't enough, Wales had a horrible nightmare the previous night that raised more questions: Why didn't Ireland do anything to Northern Ireland, and if he did, _what_?

"…North's making lunch," Ireland said. "Maybe you should get an aspirin or something, because you really look like shite."

"I feel it too," Wales croaked.

He knew that he needed to keep an eye on Ireland. He had the strangest suspicion that he was planning something, and he needed to keep Scotland and Northern Ireland safe.

…

Monaco sighed, groaning in frustration. France had called her to join him in Paris, but she couldn't go because she had too much work to do. She promised to join him as soon as she could, but she didn't see that happening for at least a week.

He sounded worried, but she brushed it off as him being paranoid after the revelations of the previous meeting. After all, he learned that one of his eldest friends had been killed. Brutally murdered, according to Scotland. And then his neighbour had also been found dead.

Monaco couldn't deny that there was something happening in the world, but worrying about it wouldn't help anything. She needed to go on as normal, and hope that nothing happened.

Not that she expected anything to happen to her. After all, what use would a small piece of land like her be?

…

Belgium wandered into Netherlands's room. He was on the phone, speaking heatedly to someone in Dutch. She wondered if it could perhaps be someone from his government. If so, then was there a problem?

Finally he ended the call, before reaching for his lighter.

"Is something wrong?" she asked.

"Something's happening in South Africa," Netherlands said.

"What makes you say that?"

"Their government was shut down. Not only that, but the ambassador is being sent back, though the one _here_ hasn't been called back. In fact, a lot of foreign embassies have been locked down, with the ambassadors being sent back."

Belgium widened her eyes. She would have to check in with her own government then. However, there _was_ one thing that she knew was happening.

"There's also something happening in DRC," she said. "Asides from the horrible weather they've been suffering from, there's also been a series of riots. The president has been assassinated, but it doesn't look as though it was the main goal."

"Something's happening in Africa," Netherlands said, taking a drag of his pipe. "I think we should demand some answers."

"From…?"

"We're going to South Africa. From what I've heard, the both of them are somewhere in Durban. So, that's where we're going."

"Why go there especially?"

"Because that is where everything started. If we have to force them to tell us, then we will. Go tell Henri to pack. We leave in twenty minutes."

…

Yemen was lying on the couch, trying to stave off his headache. He just wished that the two sides could reach a resolution without more bloodshed.

He flinched when someone knocked on the door, and he groaned as he stood. He was surprised to see Oman on the other side, who smiled.

"Sorry, did I come at a bad time?" Oman asked.

"No, it's fine," Yemen said, allowing his neighbour entrance. "I thought you were busy."

"Yeah… something came up, and I wanted to talk to you."

"Okay…"

"I suggest you take something for that headache first. I think I have news that might make it worse."

Yemen arched an eyebrow when he heard that.

"Nothing's working," he said. "So, what exactly is this?"

Oman sighed.

"What if I told you that I was aware of a conspiracy among nations?" he asked.

Yemen was silent for a moment, before he chose to sit down. If he couldn't ward off the headache, then he could at least sit down for this.

"What are you talking about?" he asked.

"There's a group called Alvora," Oman said. "They've been operating in the shadows in an attempt to rewrite the rules that govern nations. But they're not alone. They recently informed me of another group working in the shadows. Requiem. _This_ group was responsible for the deaths of England, Germany, Japan…"

Yemen widened his eyes.

"How do you know all of this?" he asked.

"Alvora tried to recruit me about three centuries ago," Oman said. "I turned them down. They approached me again a few days ago with information regarding Requiem, and the deaths."

"…And how do you know they can be trusted?"

"I've gotten to know quite a few of them on a personal level. They're really nice. Also, they have a personal reason to hate Requiem."

"And what would that be?"

"Prussia is one of Alvora's members."

The information didn't immediately click for Yemen, but once it did, his eyes widened in shock.

"They killed the brother of one of them," Yemen said. "Wait, was Germany one of them as well?"

"No," Oman said. "But another one of their number was also attacked, and also had _his_ brother killed. America is dead too. Wales is also a member, and England turned up dead."

Yemen shook his head. This was becoming a bit too much.

"Why are you telling me this?" he asked.

"Because I've been thinking the last few days, and I decided that I want to join them," Oman said. "And I was hoping that you would come along too."

"And why should I?"

"They can end your civil war. Or at the very least, they know how to not let it be painful."

Yemen stared at Oman for a while. He couldn't tell if the other was just pulling his leg, or if he was serious. However, if there was _some_ way in which they could help him, it was worth it, wasn't it?

"Alright," Yemen sighed. "So, where are we going?"

"I just need to find out, and then I'll tell you," Oman said.

"You mean, you don't know where to go?!"

"The best person to ask about this is Portugal," Oman said, raising his hand defensively. "I just need to find out where he is."

Yemen groaned.

"Fine," he said. "Call him, then."

…

Egypt glanced over towards Peru, who was silently glaring at the coffee table. Ever since Philippines called with the theory that Ecuador might be a member of Alvora, Peru had silently been staring at the table, mulling things over. Palestine was worried as well, but she didn't know Peru well enough to want to ask him about his personal issues.

Egypt knew that this was difficult for Peru. He actually cared for his brother. There were many times when he'd considered recruiting Ecuador, but could never muster the courage. There had always been the underlying fear that Ecuador would reject him. Would be _afraid_ of him. And he didn't want to send his brother to the Washroom. Finding out that Ecuador might be a part of the enemy's group must not have been pleasant for him.

Eventually he couldn't stand it anymore, and Egypt placed his hand on Peru's shoulder.

"Diego, are you alright?" Egypt asked.

Peru shook himself, before he turned to Egypt, his glare softening.

"Yeah," he said softly. "Gupta… I'm sorry. I need to be alone for a while."

Egypt watched as the younger nation walked out, and soon he could hear the door slam shut. He leaned back, groaning slightly. He was worried about his lover.

"I guess he won't know peace until he learns the truth," Palestine said.

"You're right," Egypt said. "But until he _finds_ the truth, I fear he may continue to torment himself."

…

Ecuador was lying on the bed with Angola snuggled against his chest. He still carried guilt over the Sao Tomé incident, and had yet to apologise to those directly affected – Sao Tomé and Príncipe.

He groaned when his phone rang, disturbing his time with his wonderful girlfriend. However, when he saw who was calling him, he turned pale.

"It's Diego," he muttered.

Angola sat up, looking at him in alarm. He swallowed nervously, knowing that ignoring the call could pose a problem. So he accepted it and pressed the phone to his ear.

"Hola hermano," Ecuador greeted, trying to sound cheerful. "This is a pleasant surprise."

"I need to ask you a question," Peru said, his voice serious.

"Oh, okay. Wow, it must be serious for you to sound like that."

"…Are you a part of Alvora?"

Ecuador felt his heart leap in his throat. Out of everything, he didn't expect Peru to ask him _that_. There was a sigh on the other end when he failed to answer.

"I'll assume from your silence that it's a confirmation," Peru said.

"What happens now?" Ecuador asked, all cheer gone and worry taking root.

"…I don't know. I never wanted to hurt you. I wanted you to join us, and if not, I would have kept you somewhere safe. I don't want to be your enemy."

"And I don't want to be yours. But… You took Tiago. You hurt him."

"Tiago?"

"Sao Tomé."

"I wasn't a part of that group. I wasn't even at the base. I was on another assignment."

His eyes widened.

"What assignment?" he asked worriedly.

"Recruitment," Peru said. "Don't worry, this nation joined us willingly. I'm just not going to tell you who it is, considering you know all our other members."

He drew a sharp breath. Recruitment. They were increasing their numbers.

"…Do you have someone?" Peru asked.

"What?" Ecuador asked, confused.

"Someone who owns your heart. Someone to love you."

Ecuador subconsciously pulled Angola closer.

"Why?" he asked.

"…I just wanted to know if you have someone to make you happy," Peru said. "You don't have to tell me who it is. I just want to know if you have someone to love."

Ecuador released a breath.

"Si," he said. "I do."

"I'm glad to hear that. Guard that person close to your heart. And I vow to you, I will _never_ use that person to hurt you."

"But you _will_ hurt me."

"…I suspect I already have."

Ecuador bit his lip. He didn't know what to say.

"…I just needed to know the truth," Peru said. "I hope you realise that the next time we speak to each other, we'd be enemies. But for now… You're still my brother."

"And you're mine," Ecuador said.

"I also haven't abandoned hope that you would come to see things my way. I'm hoping that you would come to our side."

"Not likely."

Peru chuckled.

"What made you suspect me in the first place?" Ecuador asked.

"Portugal," Peru explained. "Philippines was the one to think about it. She remembered that you and Colombia spent a lot of time with Portugal when we were kids, despite being Spanish territory. And we know that Colombia is a member. Speaking of which, is it safe to assume that Brazil is also a part of your club?"

"…Si."

"I see. Well then, hermano, is there anything else you'd like to say to me before I hang up and we continue to be enemies?"

"Why?" Ecuador asked. "Why did you join them?"

Peru sighed.

"Revenge for Mama," he said.

Ecuador's eyes widened, but then he heard the sound of the call being disconnected. He dropped his phone, and Angola brushed his cheek with her hand.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

He nodded idly, though he noticed that he was crying. When did that happen?

He knew that he wouldn't have to repeat what Peru had said. She was close enough that she could hear the entire conversation.

He could actually understand why Peru would want revenge for their mother's death. He was with her when Inca died. But he didn't see what difference it would make. Inca didn't have a population anymore with which she could support herself, and so she had died.

No one was at fault. Not directly, at least.

"I'm worried about the 'recruitment' he spoke of," Angola said.

"I know," Ecuador said. "I'm worried too. We need to tell the others."

…

Mali sighed, preparing lunch for everyone. He didn't really like the fact that there were so many people that he needed to feed at his house, but at least they didn't lounge around with the expectation that _he_ would do all the work. They helped out with the chores. Burkina Faso would sometimes help with the food preparations, and Liberia was eager when it came to cleaning.

He might not have been too happy that they were all in his house, but when he thought of the alternative, he found that he couldn't complain. If he hadn't signed the paper when he did…

He constantly checked the news. He knew what was happening in Algeria. The weather alone was worrisome. But there was a new factor that happened a few minutes ago, or at least, he'd heard of it over the news a few minutes ago.

It happened at a primary school. Teachers were helpless when the students started to attack themselves. Not each other, _themselves_. It was a case of mass suicide.

And Mali worried what that could mean for Algeria herself.


	33. Chapter 32

**Thanks to Scarllett83 and AquaEclipse for reviewing.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 32**

"Are you ready to go?" Romania asked.

Malaysia, Indonesia and East Timor nodded their heads. They were going into enemy territory, and they knew that a confrontation with Philippines was inevitable. They just hoped that Philippines didn't have anyone else from Requiem present.

Romania would be accompanying them, purely because having a magical nation would be beneficial. They couldn't forget that this was a rescue mission, and they needed to be able to instantly escape, should the situation call for it.

Brunei would also be accompanying them, though he was nervous about doing so. He wasn't entirely convinced about all of this, but if Singapore was in danger, then he felt it was his duty to help.

"Then let's go," Romania said.

He paused when someone wrapped his arms around him from behind, and he immediately knew that it was Portugal. He leaned back as Portugal placed his chin on his shoulder.

"Please, be careful," Portugal said quietly. "We don't know what could happen. We have no idea what Philippines is capable of."

"And she has no idea what _we're_ capable of," Romania said. "Don't worry. I'll come back to you."

Portugal's arms tightened around him. It was clear to everyone present that Portugal was still worried about what Italy had told them the previous night. If Romania had been someone they considered a potential recruit, then there was one of two ways things could go: they could attempt to capture him, or they could kill him. Neither possibility sat well with any of them.

The same was true for Portugal. With him being the leader, there was a bigger target on his back. They didn't know what Requiem would do to him, and it scared them. They only knew that they didn't want to let Portugal go the previous night.

"Oman called," Portugal said. "He's coming by with Yemen."

"Why?" Romania asked.

"He's going to accept our offer, and he convinced Yemen to accept as well."

Romania smiled, though it was sad. He knew that the reason why Oman decided that it would be best to accept the offer was because it would be better than being vulnerable to Requiem. And Yemen was most likely interested in ending his civil war. They were actually more than willing to help him with that.

Malaysia cleared his throat, drawing the Europeans' attention back to the Asians.

"As sweet as this is," Malaysia said, "we really need to get going."

Romania nodded his head, pulling away from Portugal. He threw his lover one last look before joining the other three, muttering the spell that would send them straight to Philippines.

…

Cape Verde looked up when he heard someone approaching. He saw that it was Sierra Leone, wearing the same worried mask that he was. She said nothing as she curled up next to him, and he handed her his hand, which she took gratefully. They were soon joined by Guinea Bissau.

Verde had Timor, Sierra had Malaysia, and Bissau had Indonesia. Their lovers were going on a rescue mission, and they knew that their enemy was a force to be reckoned with. They could only hope that they escaped unharmed.

…

"Is this the place?" Indonesia asked.

"Should be," Romania replied.

"How can you tell?" Brunei asked. "It looks like an ordinary house. And I'm pretty sure it's not one of Philippines's."

"Are you telling me that _you_ don't have a house that others don't know about?" East Timor sighed, glancing towards Brunei. "A place where you could just relax, away from politics or other nation business?"

"No."

Malaysia patted Brunei on the head.

"He's a sweet, innocent soul," Malaysia said. "One that doesn't understand that some people need to have a place where they could isolate themselves before the high-maintenance people around them drive them insane."

Brunei shot him an annoyed look, and the other three snickered.

"It's true," Indonesia said. "A lot of nations have secret homes. I happen to know for a fact that Germany had about three secret homes."

"…How would you know about _Germany_?" Brunei asked.

"Prussia is one of our members. His brother thought he didn't know about those. Gilbert let him have his moments of peace."

"As fun as it is to tease Brunei," Romania said, a smirk on his face, "we still need to infiltrate this place."

They sobered and nodded.

"We need to check the perimeter," Malaysia said. "We need to make sure that we don't trip any alarms."

They nodded again, before the splitting up. Romania placed a firm hand on Brunei's shoulder, preventing him from going anywhere.

"Stay here," he said. "You don't have the same kind of experience that we do."

"Hey, I've been in wars," Brunei snapped.

"Did you have to hide things from your entire population?"

Brunei huffed, but nevertheless, he crouched down. Romania smiled, before he rushed off, joining the others in their reconnaissance.

…

Andorra was speechless. He couldn't believe what he had heard.

A conspiracy. Nations plotting in the shadows. Nations performing experiments on regions – something he _barely_ managed to escape. Nations that killed other nations.

And then there was the process of him being cross-examined to determine whether or not he was one of them.

The fact that anyone could think that _he_ would be involved in a conspiracy to potentially kill other nations was insulting, hurtful… and worrisome. The point made was that they knew nothing about this group, and anyone could be a member.

But there was another element that scared him.

Throughout the explanation, his headache had not only returned, but it had returned with a vengeance. Once the explanation was finished, he had to ask France for something for the pain.

He would ask about it later. He just needed to process the facts first.

…

Brunei was sitting on the grass, a bit bored with being left behind. He perked up when he heard running footsteps, and he moved into a crouch to see who was coming. He relaxed when he saw the others.

"Did you find anything?" he asked.

"The southern side of the house completely lacks windows," Indonesia explained. "There's also enough room on the east and west sides to suggest that there are several rooms without windows. Perfect for keeping prisoners."

"No cameras, as far as I could tell," Malaysia said.

"I also used magic to do some surveillance," Romania said. "Only two people are there."

"Singapore and Philippines," East Timor said.

"This is too easy," Indonesia said.

"Just like last night," Romania said. "No security system. I'm guessing that the room where Philippines is keeping Singapore has some sort of trap."

"So, how are we going to proceed?" Malaysia asked, looking towards Romania.

"We need to figure out where Philippines is. We need to avoid her as much as possible."

"What about we snipe her?" Brunei asked.

The others all turned to him with unreadable expressions, and he decided to elaborate.

"We look through the windows to see where she is," he explained, "and then we shoot her. She'll wake up later, and by that time we'd be long gone."

"…That's not a bad idea," Malaysia said. "A bit of a dirty trick, but it's better than being discovered and killed. Permanently."

"Who's a good shot?" Romania asked.

Indonesia raised his hand, indicating the pistol he kept at his waist.

"Alright then," Romania said. "You need to make sure that you don't miss."

"I understand," Indonesia said.

…

Israel arrived at Lebanon's front door. He knocked, and waited for a moment for her to arrive. When she did, he had to pause a moment.

"Are you practicing?" he asked.

Lebanon crossed her arms over her chest, which didn't really help. Israel knew she practiced raqs sharki, but he hadn't expected that he would arrive while she was practicing.

"I'm teaching Jordan," Lebanon said.

"Oh, she's here too?" Israel asked. "Perfect. I was going to head over to her place when I was finished here."

"Why?"

"Could we discuss it inside?"

Lebanon hesitated for a moment, before she allowed him inside. She led him to her living room, where Jordan was waiting for her. Unlike Lebanon, Jordan was wearing a simple tee-shirt and loose pants. She cocked her head in surprise when she saw Israel.

"David?" she asked. "What are _you_ doing here?"

"Give me a moment to get dressed first," Lebanon said, before she disappeared.

Israel and Jordan were left alone. He decided to go for the obvious topic of discussion.

"So, since when are you interested in raqs sharki?" he asked.

"A few months now," Jordan said, crossing her arms across her chest. "It was recommended exercise, and Zaina was the best teacher I could think of."

Israel nodded his head, trying not to smile.

The two lapsed into silence, and Israel decided that it would be best to sit down. Jordan hesitated for a moment before she joined him, glaring at him darkly. He knew that she was hoping that the exercise could grant her… assets, and she wasn't amused by his reaction.

"Alright," Lebanon said, returning with a bit more conservative attire. "What did you want to talk about?"

"I think you should sit down," Israel said. "It can be a bit overwhelming."

Lebanon stared at him for a moment before she sat down next to Jordan. Israel then proceeded to explain everything about Requiem and Alvora to them, and when he was finished with his explanation, the two female nations were staring at him in shocked silence.

"This can't be real," Jordan said. "This is some kind of joke."

"It's not," Israel said. "Would I have come all this way for the sake of a joke?"

The two were unable to answer. Eventually, Lebanon just shook her head.

"This is crazy," she said. "You really expect us to believe in conspiracies that lasted for centuries?"

"I know you don't believe me, and you're going to need some convincing," Israel said. "But trust me, I only have your best interests in mind."

"Oh yeah?" Jordan challenged. "And how do you figure that?"

"Have you been paying attention to the news?"

"Of course," Lebanon said. "We need to be sure about what's happening. Something that _doesn't_ involve a conspiracy theory."

"You saw the news regarding Algeria, Sudan, DRC, Nigeria and Uganda?"

"Yes…" Jordan said hesitantly.

"All of these nations were kidnapped by Requiem."

The two widened their eyes in horror. Lebanon swallowed nervously.

"The civil unrest is understandable," she said. "But… the weather…?"

"This happens when a nation is severely distressed," Israel said. "The weather, natural disasters… It's a good indicator for other nations how much danger someone is in. The larger the area and the more severe, the more fear the nation feels. At its worst, it's possible to experience a blizzard in the desert in the middle of summer."

"…Why do I get the feeling you're speaking from experience?"

Israel nervously cleared his throat.

"There may have been an incident or two in ancient times," he said. "Anyway, the others are suffering some sort of torture that's causing their countries to react like that."

"How do you know they're not dead?" Jordan asked. "I mean, when I think about what had happened to Germany and the others…"

"The problem is, there's not much of a death toll yet. Or at least, nothing that indicates that the nation is dead. And it's not that common for natural disasters to be so prevalent due to the death of a nation."

"…Does mass suicide count?" Lebanon asked.

"Yes, why?"

"Well, did you hear about that Algerian school?"

Israel was confused, and he allowed his face to convey it.

"There was a primary school in Algeria," Lebanon explained. "Every single student committed suicide. The teachers were helpless to stop it."

Israel's eyes widened in shock when he heard that. An entire school?

"That… that doesn't make sense," Israel said. "The ripple effect targets random humans, and doesn't focus on a specific group, and definitely not a specific location. There must be something else going on that caused that to happen."

"So, what are you going to do now?" Jordan asked. "You told us, and what are you planning to do about the fact that you told us?"

"Why _did_ you tell us?" Lebanon asked.

Israel sighed.

"You have two choices," he said. "Either you join our ranks, or you become our protectorate states. The thing is, we can't let Requiem get to you."

He expected them to be outraged by the proposal. He was right.

"Are you kidding me?!" Lebanon screeched. "No. I am _not_ subjecting myself to _anyone_!"

"This is a trick!" Jordan exclaimed.

Israel sighed. He held up a hand, surprised that they actually silenced.

"If I can take you to someone that's seen Requiem and what they can do, would you reconsider?" Israel asked.

The two shared a look, before Lebanon crossed her arms.

"Friends of yours?" she asked.

"I haven't met them yet, but they're under the protection of a friend," Israel said.

Again, the two were silent as they contemplated this.

"Fine," Lebanon said. "So, how are we getting there?"

"I have a way," Israel said.

…

They were pressed against the walls, walking around the house. Occasionally they would look into the window, and every time they would see that Philippines wasn't there. And then they would scurry to the next window.

When they returned to the place where they started, they were all frustrated.

"Where _is_ she?" Timor hissed.

"Could it be that she isn't here?" Indonesia asked.

"Either that," Malaysia said, looking backwards. "Or she's where there isn't a window."

They all recalled the stretch of wall without windows. They all groaned in annoyance.

"Maybe we should get in, and if we see her, we shoot her," Malaysia suggested.

"Don't be rash," Romania said. "I'll use my magic again to try to find her."

"Are you sure it's a good idea?" Timor asked, looking at the European in worry. "Isn't it draining?"

"A bit. I'm not so used to using my magic so much anymore. It was useful in the Middle Ages, but…"

"We can work on that later," Malaysia said. "We _need_ to find Tala before…"

"Before she can sneak up on you?"

The group froze, before they turned around to see Philippines, standing there with a gun aimed at them.

"Did you _honestly_ think I didn't have protective measures in place?" Philippines asked.

"What have you done to Aminah?" Malaysia demanded.

"Are you single?"

"What?"

"Do I have a reason to be jealous of you?"

"…No. I'm happy in my relationship."

Philippines smiled.

"So, is it safe to assume that you're just worried about her as friends?" she asked.

"Yes," Indonesia said. "What have you done to her?"

"Nothing. I actually _care_ for Aminah. Not like you. So, Malaysia, Indonesia, Timor and Brunei are Alvora nations."

"No," Brunei said, shaking his head. "I'm not a member. I'm a protectorate, and I'm here to save Aminah."

Philippines widened her eyes in surprise, before her smile returned.

"If that's the case, then I'm giving you a choice," she said. "You can leave. You can just walk away from all of this. After all, you're not _really_ involved. Just don't look back, and you get to live unharmed."

Brunei minutely shook his head.

"I can't," he said. "Not… not now."

"Why not?" she asked, cocking her head to the side.

While she was distracted, Indonesia was slowly moving his hand to the pistol. Just as he placed his hand on the barrel, Philippines adjusted her aim and shot his arm, earning a cry of pain from him and cries of alarm from the others.

"Don't even think about it," she said, before turning her attention back to Brunei. "I'm asking you again: why don't you just leave? This has nothing to do with you, and I'm giving you an opportunity to escape unharmed."

Brunei was staring at Indonesia, and he shook his head again, though it was clear to everyone that he was afraid.

"Idiot," Philippines said, before shifting her weapon towards him.

Indonesia, to everyone's surprise, threw himself over the others. Philippines's gun went off in her shock.

"Aussib Éniug!" Indonesia exclaimed.

…G

The three African nations jumped in surprise when they saw a flash of light, leaving bodies behind. They immediately recognised them, and jumped up.

"Akmal!" Sierra Leone exclaimed.

"Gesang!" Guinea Bissau cried.

"Virgílio!" Cape Verde shouted.

The five nations on the ground groaned and moved into a sitting position, while Sierra went to Malaysia, Bissau to Indonesia and Verde to Timor.

"Why'd you do that?" Romania asked, looking at Indonesia.

"I needed to get us out of there," Indonesia explained. "Philippines would have…"

They were interrupted by Verde's scream, and turned their alarmed expressions to Verde and Timor, the latter having a growing red stain on his shirt, just a bit right of the diaphragm.

"No…" Indonesia whispered.

The situation was made worse by the realisation that they didn't know if Philippines used regular bullets, or modified ones.

…

Singapore was curled up on the bed with her knees pressed against her chest. She looked up when Philippines entered, looking a bit annoyed.

"What happened out there?" she asked.

"Nothing to concern yourself over," Philippines responded.

"I heard gunshots."

"Nothing to worry about," Philippines repeated. "But it looks like we need to move."

"What?"

Philippines tackled her, forcing her to lie on the back. Singapore struggled and screamed, but it was no use. Philippines grabbed the pillow and forced it against Singapore's face. The latter tried to pull her face away so that she could breathe, but Philippines held firm.

Singapore realised that the gunshots were because someone had come. Someone had possibly been there to rescue her. But now they needed to change location, since their current location was known. And Singapore's hopes of being rescued were crumbling.

They were changing location, and Singapore wasn't allowed to be alive during the change.

 **I** _ **was**_ **going to have them rescue Singapore, but decided against it halfway through.**

 **The reason why Timor was shot and not Brunei or Indonesia is because Philippines was still adjusting her aim when she was surprised.**

 **As you read, Jordan isn't very endowed. Many exercises, particularly chest exercises, lift the chest and make the bust appear bigger. That's what Jordan is going for, and who better to help her than a fellow female Middle Eastern nation. Lebanon, on the other hand… Well, she's not Ukraine. Closer to Hungary.**

 **Raqs sharki is, of course, belly dance. Seriously, I can't think of Lebanon without seeing a belly dancer. I also practice, and it's really fun.**


	34. Chapter 33

**Thanks to Ate Luya and AquaEclipse for reviewing.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 33**

Indonesia was sitting on the couch, rocking back and forth with his injured wrist cradled against his chest. Guinea Bissau slipped beside him and wrapped an arm around him.

"It's my fault," Indonesia said. "If I didn't insist on leaving, then Philippines…"

"Shh," Guinea Bissau shushed, stroking the other's hair. "Tell me, why did you decide to leave at that moment?"

"I just… I was afraid. I was already injured, and I'm the only one with a range weapon with me. Passing it on to one of the others would have resulted in her shooting. Vlad's already tired from using so much magic in such a short time, so I didn't want to place added pressure on him. And if any of us so much as moved to try to fight, then she would have gunned us down anyway."

"And you didn't know if those bullets would have killed you," Guinea Bissau sighed.

"Actually, I think it would have. I've been shot many times before, but never has a bullet been so painful. And it's not getting better."

They've bandaged the wound, but Indonesia was still in pain. He'd already been passed some painkillers, but he declined them. He didn't think he deserved relief from the pain if it meant that his brother could potentially die.

Right now, Equatorial Guinea and Haiti were working on healing East Timor, allowing Romania a chance to rest. Romania had also reported to Portugal, and the other members were waiting in another room. They knew that Indonesia wanted his space.

White arrived, carrying a tray with teacups. She placed them on the table, before turning to Indonesia.

"Dis nie jou skuld nie," she said.

Indonesia knew what she was doing. His Dutch wasn't as strong as it used to be, and it took a lot of concentration for him to continue a conversation. And that was what she was aiming for. She wanted him to get his mind off of the situation. And by speaking Afrikaans, she's forcing him to concentrate harder. He would just need to decide whether or not he would allow her to do so.

"Ik heb de beslissing genomen," he said. "Als ik niet…"

"Is julle almal seker gevangenes, of erger," she said. "Moenie sleg voel nie."

He sighed, and she decided to leave him alone. Guinea Bissau hugged him tightly.

"He's going to be okay," he said. "I promise you."

"And if you're wrong?" Indonesia asked.

"Then we'll take it out on Philippines."

…

Canada idly looked up when there was a flash of light in front of him, informing him that someone had teleported there. He had been working in his office, taking care of some official business.

"Gah! Cold!"

"I told you to get coats," Israel sighed, before he turned to Canada. "Sorry for the intrusion, Matthew."

"No problem," Canada said, looking at the two female nations. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"I thought it best that they speak to those with experience with Requiem."

Canada glanced towards Jordan and Lebanon and nodded in understanding.

"Would you ladies like some coats?" he asked.

"That would be very kind, America," Lebanon said.

Canada sighed, and Israel nervously scratched his head.

"Actually, I'm Canada," he said. "America's my brother."

Lebanon's eyes widened, as though she realised that she just shoved her foot into her mouth. Jordan stared at Canada and cocked her head to the side.

"Now that you mention it, I _do_ see a few differences," she remarked.

"I take it you haven't told them yet?" Canada asked, turning to Israel.

"That one slipped my mind," Israel admitted.

"Told us what?" Lebanon asked.

Canada looked towards her and sighed.

"America was killed," he said. "The same day as England and the others."

The two female nations widened their eyes. Lebanon turned to Israel.

"Why didn't you tell us?!" she demanded.

"Like I said, it slipped my mind," Israel said, raising his hands defensively.

"Wait a minute," Jordan said, looking around at them all. "How do we know that's the truth? It could be just a lie to convince us to join you."

"Have you _heard_ about the things happening in America lately? The deaths and everything?"

Jordan flinched.

"If you don't believe us," Canada said, "some of America's states are here. One of them is a victim of Requiem, and two others who are victims are on their way. Then there are British regions who are also victims."

"Could you please get the coats first?" Lebanon asked.

Canada nodded his head, and he quickly went to fetch three coats in his room before returning to his study. Israel smiled gratefully, though he hadn't asked for a coat for himself. Canada knew him well enough to know that he would also be suffering slightly from the temperature. Most of the heating was reserved for the living room, where the regions were. He led the Middle Eastern nations there, and the regions tensed when they saw the new arrivals.

"More friends of yours?" Texas asked, looking warily at the new arrivals.

"One of them," Canada said. "David thought it wise to let these lovely ladies have a word with you. They don't seem to believe him about Requiem."

The two blushed at the compliment, and Lebanon cleared her throat.

"First of all, is America really dead?" she asked.

"Yes," Alaska said. "DC, the capital, is also dead. All of the states have gained independence, but I chose to become Canadian instead. A lot safer."

"Depends on who you're asking," Texas scoffed. "So, you want to know about those assholes in Requiem? The ones that experimented on regions like us?"

"What?" Jordan asked.

"We were their prisoners," Surrey said. "We were freed last night. Those… monsters… they hurt all of us. They tortured us. They killed us."

The two female nations widened their eyes in shock, with Lebanon's hand flying to her mouth.

"In all of Great Britain and Ireland," Essex said, "we're all that's left."

The two female nations looked around at all of the regions. None of them were older than teenagers, and they bore a closer resemblance to skeletons than anything else. Canada could tell that they were drinking in the thin frames. They were looking into the deadened eyes. And they could tell that the suffering these children had gone through had lasted for years. And no one would be so relaxed around their tormentors, the way these regions were relaxed around Canada.

They knew at least that Canada wasn't hurting them.

"What happened?" Jordan asked, looking around at the regions.

The British counties looked at each other nervously. Texas sighed, before she turned her attention to the older women.

"There are nations all across the world that form part of Requiem," Texas said. "They've been waiting all this time. Observing. They wanted to find a way to gain more power. To make sure that they permanently deal with any threats. For their various weapons, they used regions as test subjects. Finding ways to torture. Finding ways to kill. And finding ways to mould them to their will."

"Mould to their will?" Lebanon asked. "You mean, like brainwashing?"

Texas nodded her head.

"When I was still with Mexico, she would sometimes drag one of the others away," she said. "None of us would ever see them again. One time, I heard her let slip that they're going to the 'washroom'. I've heard references of it a few times."

"What do you mean?" Canada asked.

"References?" Israel asked.

Texas looked uncomfortable for a moment.

"Even those of us that escaped… They weren't too careful about what they said around us," Texas said. "They figured that we'd be too scared to go to another nation for help. They especially didn't care about the things they have a code for. The washroom is one such thing. I think it's a facility specially designed for indoctrination, but I've never seen any of the states they sent there. So, I don't know if they brainwashed them and then released them… Or killed them."

"Neither possibility sounds pleasant," Israel said softly.

"That's probably where they take their prisoners," Canada said, looking towards Israel.

"It _would_ make the most sense."

"I'm sorry," Lebanon said, looking towards Canada and Israel. "Do you mind giving us a moment alone with these kids?"

Canada and Israel shared a quick look, before Canada turned his attention to Quebec, who slowly nodded his head. If there was trouble, then Quebec would be quick to act. With that in mind, Canada and Israel stepped out of the room.

…

The nation was perched on the mountain, staring at the landscape. He preferred to go up there whenever he wished to be alone. To think.

He knew what happened as soon as the deaths had been announced at the previous meeting. Requiem had finally made its move. And he knew that more deaths were likely to follow. But strangely, they were taking things slowly. They didn't go wild, like he thought they would have.

Something was holding them back.

He wondered idly if it was the other group. He never could learn what their name was, but they seemed better than Requiem. At least their goals didn't involve a massacre. But they weren't entirely innocent. If they were, then they would have done something about their own countries. They wouldn't have allowed human dictators to govern. There would have been no 'act of faith'. No segregation. No wars among each other. They would have changed their own countries first, instead of letting the humans do what they wanted.

Their end goal of rewriting the rules almost felt like a mockery.

But still better than Requiem. They planned on making an ultimate empire, while gaining revenge for those that wronged them, whether it was purposely or accidental, direct or indirect, personally or impersonally. They wanted power, and they wanted to eliminate as many obstacles as possible.

And he wasn't about to forget some of the ways in which they recruited others into their ranks. And it disturbed him how effective they were. It was difficult to remember which of those nations didn't want to be a part of their group. He doubted _they_ even remembered. And then there were elements that he didn't even know about.

He had spent centuries observing everyone around him. He'd seen how North Korea was treated by South, but he never comforted the northern brother. He knew how India felt like some sort of prize, and he'd treated the nation in much the same way. He knew about the insecurities that Poland suffered from, and he'd even instilled some of those insecurities himself. He knew Hungary was a girl, but he treated her the same as any other – after all, if his humans didn't distinguish, then he wouldn't either. He saw how Belarus cracked under the pressure. And then he noticed as some sort of change came over each of them. It had taken him a while to find the origin of the change, but he was a patient man. And he was observant. He'd served as tactician to his own leaders in the past. Perhaps if he'd continued like that, he'd be a stronger nation than he was now.

But that would have made him a bigger target.

He realised it at the previous world meeting. He knew the moment it was announced that Germany was dead, followed by England and Japan. And he knew that some of the missing nations were members of Requiem, and therefor to blame, and some must have been killed, injured or captured. After the news of the bombings, he'd done a little digging and found that there were other capitals, but they were kept silent. Both groups were active, but were they really active against each other, or did they dance around the other, as they have done for centuries?

He had gotten good at hiding his presence, even from those that were observant. He wouldn't be detected until he _wanted_ to be. And that was what had allowed him to learn of both groups. But he wanted to be a part of neither.

So, did he dare to start a third group?

He shook his head of the thought. His position as leader of anything was long gone. He was aware of the fact that he was part of the reason why some of the members had joined their respective groups. Those that would wish revenge, and those that would wish to end the very treatment he had inflicted on him. It took him losing everything to realise it, but it was too late. No one would want to follow him, so he would not lead.

He _could_ appeal to another nation, though. One that the others might be willing to listen to. One that was already strong. Any member of the G7 would be great, but Japan, England and Germany were dead, and he suspected that America was as well. That was the only explanation for his absence. And Italy was one of the leaders of Requiem, and Canada was a member of the other organisation. That only left France, who thankfully didn't have a grudge against him.

He stood, knowing what he would do now. He just hoped that France would be willing to listen to him.

…

Portugal sighed, listening to Romania on the other side of the phone. He had informed him of East Timor being injured, as well as the fact that they had failed in their mission to rescue Singapore.

He knew that Indonesia was beating himself up over it, and Portugal couldn't see how it was his fault. Based on the report, Philippines had quick reflexes and was very observant. Indonesia was the only one that they could rely on to take her out from a distance, and it was clear that she wasn't interested in a proper fight. She was going to kill them.

And Romania informed him that the bullets used were the lethal variety.

Haiti and Equatorial Guinea were working on healing Timor, with Cape Verde refusing to leave his lover's side. Romania couldn't even help with the healing process. His magical reserves were exhausted due to using more than he was used to in a short amount of time, and also using magic in an anti-magic chamber. Romania needed to recover as well.

Portugal knew that he shouldn't have allowed the other European to leave.

That being said, it was undeniable that the nations' magic was useful. Romania, Wales, Equatorial Guinea and Haiti were helpful, but he feared that it wouldn't be enough. Requiem had a few magic users of their own, and based on what India said, they might be looking for more.

That which had been asleep was awakening.

They had tried to awaken certain nations' magic in the past, without success. Perhaps it was time to try again. Portugal might not have been an expert in these matters, but he knew enough to know that each nation's magic was unique. Different strengths, different weaknesses. And he was afraid that Requiem might have had magic that Alvora would be weak to.

He would protect those that chose to follow him, by any means necessary. And those that threatened them could not be shown any mercy.

…

"So, are you sure about this?" Argentina asked.

Mexico nodded her head.

"It's time we start gaining land as well," Mexico said. "Chile and Venezuela can take care of Bolivia and the others."

Argentina nodded her head. They had two missions: make life difficult for Alvora, and get as much land as possible. They had to kill or recruit. It was what they were supposed to be doing in the first place. Alvora proved to be a distraction, and the longer they waited to strike, the more advantage they lost.

Nepal at least had brought back Bhutan. They now had an oracle on their side, whether he liked it or not. But if Bhutan valued his life, then he would continue to be useful, and if he didn't value his life enough, then they could always go after Myanmar and Bangladesh.

As for Argentina and Mexico, they had someone else they needed to go after in order to gain the advantage.

…

The nation shook his head, trying to get it to focus. Something strange had been happening to him, ever since the last meeting.

It was almost as though the shadows surrounding him were alive.

But that was impossible. Shadows weren't alive. They couldn't move the way he saw them move. They didn't grow darker. They didn't follow him. They didn't change shape.

He kept trying to tell himself that.

…

"Serbia's ruining everything!"

The two Balkan nations were in one of their bedrooms. One of them was pacing, while the other was sitting on the bed and watching his ally.

"He knows who we are," the one on the bed said. "And he knew that the others are with us. He suspected that we would do something to them. A suspicion that _is_ correct, after all."

"We shouldn't have waited," the one pacing said. "We should have gone to work immediately."

"…And what's stopping us now?"

The other paused in his pacing as he turned to his comrade.

"What are you talking about?" he asked.

"Serbia came to _us_ ," the one on the bed explained. "I propose we use this opportunity to dispose of an enemy. And _then_ we can continue with the others. After all, there's two of us and only one of him."

The other smirked.

"I like that plan," he said.

…

Cape Verde walked into the room where Indonesia was waiting. Indonesia immediately stood from his seat, anxious to hear news of his brother, as well as apologise to his brother's lover.

"Is he alright?" Indonesia asked.

Verde nodded his head.

"They managed to save him," he explained.

Indonesia sighed in relief, before he pulled Verde into a hug.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I'm so sorry."

He could feel Guinea Bissau place a hand on his shoulder, and Cape Verde returned the hug, indicating his forgiveness.

 **I've mentioned in other stories that Afrikaans and Dutch are close enough that the two speakers can understand each other. There's about a 5-10% difference between the two languages. I've been doing Dutch on Duolingo, and I've actually grown more aware of the differences, especially if those differences lead to pitfalls. There are three main differences: Afrikaans doesn't have a grammatical gender, Afrikaans doesn't have different conjugations, and Afrikaans uses the double negative. There are other differences as well, but these immediately stand out if you compare the languages.**

 **Dutch might not be an official language in Indonesia anymore, and I know that not many people still speak it, but Indonesia himself spent a long time with that language, and it hasn't disappeared from his skill set. White can also speak Dutch, but she doesn't because Afrikaans is close enough. There's also the fact that Dutch in South Africa faded from daily use before it did in Indonesia, so if Indonesia's rusty, White is even more so. As mentioned above, White is trying to distract Indonesia by forcing him to speak a language which he doesn't use often anymore. Their conversation can be translated as follows:**

" **It's not your fault."  
"I made the choice. If I didn't…"  
"Then you all would have been prisoners, or worse. Don't feel bad."**


	35. Chapter 34

**Thanks to AquaEclipse for reviewing.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 34**

Malta grumbled in annoyance. She was supposed to be in Greece, where Albania was waiting for her. Instead, she had to go with San Marino and Vatican to Madeira, in order to capture the island. Afterwards, they would be going to Azores to capture him as well.

But it became obvious as soon as they arrived that Madeira wasn't there. Vatican could sense the presence of other nations as soon as he entered their lands, which is the reverse of what nations could usually do. Nations could sense another nation in their lands, but only if they've been there for a while. When it became clear that a nation wasn't just passing through another's lands to get to another nation.

And Vatican informed them that Madeira wasn't there.

It would make sense that Portugal would try to get his autonomous regions to safety. Considering all the moves that Requiem had played, it was clear that they weren't above harming someone else to get to the nation that they wanted. Which meant that Azores wouldn't be there either.

Unless they were thinking about it too much. There was also the possibility that Madeira had simply gone to Azores. In which case, they would still need to go there as soon as possible to check.

Malta would _still_ be unable to go back to Albania.

…

Malaysia was sitting on the chair next to East Timor's bed. The other had yet to wake up, and Malaysia intended to stay there in order to check that he was alright. As the leader of the South-East Asians of their group, he felt responsible for Timor being hurt.

They should have been more careful. They should have planned it out. And they should have brought more weapons with them. Indonesia had been the only one with a gun, and his shooting hand had been injured. Malaysia couldn't blame him for panicking and thinking about getting them out. Considering the fact that Romania was reaching his limit regarding his magic use, they couldn't rely on that, and it was clear to them that Philippines was unhinged. She would have killed all of them, and Indonesia knew that. He was only thinking about getting them out of there.

Malaysia looked up when someone entered the room. He was both surprised and not to see Brunei there. Brunei glanced towards East Timor before turning his attention to Malaysia.

"It should have been me," Brunei said. "Philippines was taking aim at _me_. Virgílio shouldn't have been the one that was shot."

"She was still adjusting her aim," Malaysia said. "I guess she was as surprised as the rest of us."

"…Do you blame Gesang for what happened?"

"No. If he didn't get us out of there, then we would all be dead right now. And Virgílio didn't die, so there's no reason to be angry at him."

"How did he do that, anyway?"

"We have a spell cast on each of our members. If we say the name of another nation backwards in their native language, we can instantly travel to that nation, but we need to bleed for it to work, and it also takes a lot of energy. I'm surprised that Gesang didn't pass out."

Brunei bit his lip.

"…Philippines was… I can't describe it. She looked… insane. And… you were right." Brunei sighed. "Could I take a look at that contract again?"

…

"How much longer?" Paraguay whined. "I'm starving!"

"So, what else is new?" Uruguay asked, busy with some crossword puzzles.

They were waiting for Bolivia as he was preparing lunch. Paraguay had made breakfast, and Uruguay would make dinner. That was their agreement.

"Come on!" Paraguay whined. "I hadn't had anything to eat in two hours!"

"You can tell that bottomless pit that he can wait five more minutes!" Bolivia called out from the kitchen.

"See?" Uruguay asked, looking up at Paraguay. "Five minutes. Surely you can wait that long?"

Paraguay huffed, but thankfully turned silent. His eyes flashed to the nearby clock, counting the seconds. Uruguay rolled his eyes as he continued with his puzzle.

"You know that gluttony is one of the deadly sins, right?" Uruguay asked.

"I'm not a glutton!" Paraguay snapped. "I just need a lot of food."

"You eat more than America," Uruguay said, eyeing Paraguay. "And I don't know where you put it all."

Paraguay shrugged, before shushing his growling stomach.

…

The Nordic nation watched the other four as they sat down for dinner. He'd noticed that one of them had been acting a bit oddly, though he suspected that the other three didn't notice.

He wondered if that specific Nordic was a member of Alvora. The others had informed him that Alvora knew all of their members. Well, almost all.

His gaze shifted to another Nordic, before focusing on the plate in front of him. If the other nation was Alvora and knew that he was Requiem, then he needed to do something about it. And soon.

…

Slovakia opened the door and was surprised to see Poland and Lithuania standing there. Poland grinned at Slovakia.

"Like, sorry to barge in like this," Poland said.

"No problem," Slovakia said, smiling amiably at his friend. "Though, this is an unexpected surprise."

"Who is it?" Czechia called from further inside the house.

"Feliks and Lithuania!" he called back.

"What? What are they doing here?"

"We came to talk to you," Lithuania said. "It's kind of urgent."

Slovakia nodded his head, allowing the other two to enter. He had a feeling that there was _something_ going on.

…

The Africans and their guests were gathered around the dining room table, enjoying the dinner that Kenya and White had prepared. Some of their members were missing, waiting for East Timor to wake up and others were with their waiting lovers.

"We need to know what to do now," Brazil said, looking over the group at large.

"I have news," Ecuador said. "Diego called me earlier."

"What? Why didn't you say anything earlier?"

"Figured it would be better when everyone was here. Anyway, he let slip that Requiem is recruiting. He didn't join the others in kidnapping Tiago because he was busy with that assignment."

"That's not good," Morocco said. "Any idea who they recruited?"

"He wouldn't say. He just told me that the person he recruited joined them willingly."

"It might have been another South American, or even a Central American," Colombia said.

"It depends on who he was with," Mozambique said. "If he was with someone else, then it might have been someone that's willing to listen to the other nation."

"That provides a new list of possibilities," White said, before glancing to Morocco. "Any luck with finding Tunisia?"

Morocco shook her head.

"I know he's somewhere cold," she said. "And there _might_ be a possible candidate for the country, but it's still a large expanse of land."

White nodded her head.

"I was thinking about that," she said. "If they were willing to go after one of the nations under our jurisdiction, who's to say they won't go for another? We need them all in one location, where we can keep an eye on them."

"We need to think carefully about this," Black said. "They already infiltrated us once. They could do it again."

"They didn't exactly infiltrate. They found the location, and they took the ones that were outside. I have a place in the Karoo that should work."

Black frowned.

"What place is that?" he asked. "I don't remember anything there."

"It was still under construction for a long time," she said. "It's hidden in Meiringspoort."

"You have got to be kidding me…" Black groaned.

"We'd have natural defences," White said. "And Eporia would be able to tell if there are any intruders."

"You're seriously relying on an urban legend to protect us?"

"I think it might work."

Everyone grew silent when they heard Romania's words, and they turned to regard him. He had a thoughtful look on his face.

"You can't be serious," Black said.

"I've noticed in the past that Anika has a lot of good luck with legendary creatures and spirits," Romania explained. "She managed to befriend some of my strigoi. She's even been able to meet figures from urban legends. And something that Miguel said got me thinking."

"What did Miguel say?" Angola asked.

"Raj had an encounter with Nepal, who basically informed him that everyone with dormant magic has their magic awakening. We've tried to awaken Anika and Themba's magic in the past, without success. Or so we thought."

"What are you talking about?" White asked. "I can't use magic."

"You can't _actively_ use magic. But passive magic also exists. I think you might be able to connect with magical creatures and spirits. Even the hostile ones. It's not like a tamer of channeler. They would still need to earn the respect of those they encounter. It's almost as though Anika gets to skip that part."

"But how can you be sure?" Black asked.

"I'm willing to experiment, if Anika is."

"And what does this experiment entail?" Brazil asked suspiciously.

"We'll need to go to different places and see if she can make friends."

"As interesting as this is," Namibia interrupted, "what good would it do?"

"Think about it," Zimbabwe said, his eyes sparkling. "Imagine an army of inkanyamba, or impundulu, or tokoloshes."

" _Someone's_ a bit too excited," Botswana said, nervously eyeing Zimbabwe. "But… I can see his point. A lot of nations have some pretty nasty figures in their mythologies. If Anika can _somehow_ get their cooperation, then who needs a human army?"

"And what if you're wrong?" White asked, looking fixedly at Romania.

"Well, there's only one way to find out, isn't there?" Romania asked, a twinkle in his eye.

"And what about me?" Black asked. "I'm supposed to have magic too, or were you mistaken about that?"

"If we want to figure out what _your_ magic is like, I suggest you go to someone who understands you better than you do."

"So, I have to go see umkhulu?" Black asked.

"Looks like it," White said. "But I still say we need to move everyone to Meiringspoort."

"If it's the best choice we have, sure," Romania said. "We'll just tell them to go to the nearest airport, and explain the situation."

" _This_ should be interesting," Namibia said, taking a sip of her drink.

…

Albania looked out of the window, a look of disgust on his face. He usually enjoyed being in Greece, considering the beautiful weather and beautiful beaches, but now it was raining. Storming, actually. And Greece himself was confused about the weather.

He looked up when he sensed someone enter the room, and noticed that it was Italy, who had an annoyed expression on his face.

"Most of the Mediterranean is suffering from this storm," Italy explained. "Specifically, everyone that's part of Requiem."

Albania frowned.

"That must mean that Alvora is involved," Albania said.

"Perhaps," Italy said, nodding his head. "Though, Egypt told me that he couldn't sense any nation interference in his land. So, it _might_ be them, or it could be an ordinary storm. Anyway, that's not why I'm here. Greece is taking Bhutan to Delphi tomorrow, and I would like it if you went with them."

"Delphi?" Albania repeated, before nodding his head. "Hopefully the weather looks better."

"At the very least, the weather should keep the humans away. Less interference. And besides, having the weather like this would be good motivation for Bhutan."

Albania nodded and smirked. He was looking forward to seeing some suffering. He would have been the next to torture Sao Tomé, but then Alvora managed to get him away. Something that he had been looking forward to was taken from him. He needed something to make up for it.

Just as he turned his attention back to the window, a flash of lightning illuminated the sky, the accompanying thunder coming almost immediately. But Albania was lost. His mind grew blank.

He felt cold. He felt as though he was drowning underwater. And he could hear distant screaming.

"Mierda," Italy's voice said, though it was fuzzy. "Allegro !"

Just like that, Albania snapped out of his trance. He turned confused and exhausted eyes towards Italy, who sighed.

"I think you should go to your room, and stay away from thunder and lightning," Italy said.

Albania nodded his head, feeling very dizzy. Yes. Getting some sleep would be a good idea.

…

Czechia and Slovakia were staring at Poland and Lithuania, too shocked to say anything. The two allies had explained to them everything about Alvora and Requiem, and were allowing the other two to process the information.

"So, this is real?" Czech asked. "You're not joking?"

"Like, am I one to joke like this?" Poland asked.

"Sometimes."

"Okay, is _Toris_ one to joke like this?"

"…No."

"I believe them," Slovakia said. "Something weird's been going on for a while now. I saw it last time we saw Liz. She was… I don't know. Something about her seemed wrong. I went to speak to her, and for a split second her eyes were cold until she saw that it was me."

Silence fell over the group. Eventually, Czechia sighed.

"Why are you telling us?" she asked.

"Because we want to protect you," Lithuania said. "Requiem is willing to resort to lethal measures. They already killed several nations. Some of the strongest nations, in fact."

"And what about Russia? Is he part of this?"

"No. But Belarus is. She's a member of Requiem."

Czechia and Slovakia both shuddered. It was clear that the siblings were afraid of Belarus, even more than Russia. The two exchanged a look, before Slovakia turned to Poland and Lithuania.

"If you're planning on protecting us," he said, "what do we have to do in exchange?"

…

"It's pretty late already," Yemen said, looking out the window. "Are you sure they wouldn't mind?"

Oman and Yemen had taken a flight to Bucharest, and were travelling to Romania's house via taxi.

"They're very patient," Oman said. "And besides, I warned them ahead of time that we'd be coming."

Yemen had been informed of a few important things regarding this group, Alvora. They had been working in the shadows, independent of even their own governments. Yemen found it hard to believe that a nation would be able to go against the wishes of their ruler, but he could understand why they would want to do that. They also knew how to take full control of their people, and that was something else that Yemen could appreciate. He was also warned that they were extremely loyal to each other. They would place the others' well-beings above their own, and above those of their own people.

Yemen wondered how the last quality could warrant a warning.

Finally, the vehicle stopped, and after paying the driver, the two nations made their way to the front door. They were about to knock when the door opened, revealing a child nation that Yemen had seen at meetings but didn't really know the name of.

Was a child really involved with this as well?

"You're here!" the child exclaimed happily. "Come on, Miguel's waiting for you."

The two older nations followed after the child until they reached the living room, where Portugal appeared to be hunched over a few documents. His head snapped up, and he smiled in relief.

"Nice to see you've come," Portugal said.

"Yeah, well, I figured that it would be better to side with someone that could actually protect us," Oman said.

"You know that you'd have to pull your weight, right?"

"…I figured."

"And what does that mean, exactly?" Yemen asked.

"We don't force you to do things that you don't want to," Portugal explained. "If anyone needs support, you have to be willing to help them. We'd also prefer it if you keep quiet about us, unless it's to someone you want to recruit."

Yemen nodded. These were reasonable, and he could see no problem with these conditions.

"You also need to allow other members to operate freely in your country," Portugal explained. "The reverse is also true, that you can operate in another's country. We also have human ambassadors to smooth things over between the human government and the nation."

"Is there something different about these ambassadors?" Yemen asked.

"They're not loyal to their country, they're loyal to _us_. These are the descendants of humans that weren't wanted by their general population. Heretics during the Inquisition, for example. They've already started work on several of the African nations."

"And are they going to help me end my civil war?"

"If you want them to."

"Of course I want them to!"

"Relax," the child said, and Yemen was startled that he was still there. "What Miguel is trying to say is that nations can influence the thoughts of their people. If you wanted, you can end your own civil war by just thinking about it."

"Obrigado, Alex," Portugal said. "Sim, that's the gist of it. It requires a lot of concentration in the beginning, but soon enough you'd be able to influence them easily."

Yemen blinked. That… would be nice.

"There's also one other thing you'd need to do," Oman said, an amused smirk on his face. "You need to learn all the members' human names."

…

"By any chance, did you tell Zuid-Afrika that we're coming?" Belgium asked.

Netherlands grunted.

"I didn't want them to have a warning," Netherlands said.

"And do you know _where_ they are now?" Luxembourg asked.

"They'll figure out we're here soon enough."

…

Black woke up, before he groaned in annoyance. He could sense three nations entered their lands without warning. They were waiting at the airport.

He got out of bed, quickly getting dressed, mindful to not wake Morocco. When he walked out of his room, he saw White coming out of hers, looking just as annoyed as he did.

"Were you aware?" Black asked.

She shook her head. It would seem that they had unexpected and uninvited guests.

 **Let's just take a moment to process the fact that South Africa has a mermaid legend in the** _ **Karoo**_ **, which forms part of our desert region. Apparently her name is Eporia. Some of the arguments about her existence is that San rock art would sometimes depict a humanoid figure with a fish-like lower half. The San were notorious for painting things they actually saw and encountered, and weren't in the habit of painting something remotely mythological.**

 **As explained early in the chapter, nations can sense another nation in their land if the other's been there for a while. Black and White realised that Netherlands and the others were there earlier than they would have due to the fact that they were on high alert after Sao Tomé was kidnapped.**

 **I offhandedly mentioned that Black and White have magic, but they weren't awoken. As I was writing the Africans' scene, I thought about having White being attuned to any place's legends, even being able to turn legend in reality. It would explain why Adamastor and the captain of the Flying Dutchman were so willing to help, even if they** _ **did**_ **form part of her folklore.**

 **Speaking of which, looks like Adamastor's been busy this week. It's been raining constantly, and it's more rain than the ground could handle. Serious flooding, and the informal settlements have suffered greatly. Last I heard yesterday afternoon, 85 people have already died. A lot of this was targeted in KwaZulu-Natal, which is in the opposite part of the country from the Cape of Good Hope. Unless White was angry at Black (historically speaking, White has a strong connection to the Cape, while Black has a strong connection to Natal).**


	36. Chapter 35

**Thanks to AquaEclipse for reviewing.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 35**

Tibet panted in pain. This torture had been going on for hours, long into the night. Actually, he wondered if it was past the midnight point, and closer to dawn. There were times when he passed out from the torture, but South only kept him unconscious long enough to prepare for the next torture.

Even through the shadows of the night, Tibet could make out South's figure as he prepared a bottle of something. Tibet couldn't really see, but once the bottle was opened and the smell hit him, he knew what it was, as well as the next thing that would torture him.

Gasoline.

"You know, I'm actually a bit impressed," South said, looking towards the sky. "It's a bit overcast, but not a single drop fell. You can handle your pain quite well."

Tibet bit back the retort. Considering his history, it was important for him to build a tolerance to pain.

"Unfortunately, I need you to mess with China," South said, coming closer. "The other provinces went into hiding. China informed them that they need to keep safe. Except for you. But I suspect that it's _your_ fault, Mr Nomad. Good thing you tell Rishi where you're going. Though, I guess it's not so good for you, huh?"

"You can't _honestly_ do this just to torture China," Tibet said.

"Oh, I am. He's somewhere I can't reach him, and I can't get his provinces. So, I have to settle for you."

Before Tibet could say anything else, South dumped the bottle's contents out on him. Tibet gasped for breath, trying to get away from the fumes, before he noticed South light a match.

"Make sure Yao can feel this," South said, before dropping the match.

…

China had _just_ gotten to sleep when he was abruptly awoken, a scream ripping from his throat. However, he realised that it wasn't _his_ pain that he was feeling, but the pain of someone else. He closed his eyes, focusing his attention, and he could hear Tibet's screams of pain echoing in his mind.

He heard running footsteps, and he flinched when the light was turned on. He saw Taiwan hovering nearby, with Hong Kong at the door.

"What's wrong?" Taiwan demanded. "That didn't sound like a nightmare."

He realised that others were approaching too, but he decided to focus on his younger siblings.

"It's Tibet," China explained. "Jampa. He's in pain. He's being tortured!"

"Tibet?" Ukraine said, also hovering near the door. "Are you sure?"

China nodded his head, before he pulled the bedsheets off of him.

"He's hurt," China said. "I need to help him."

The moment he forced himself to his feet, his knees buckled, and he felt a wave of nausea. Taiwan, who was nearest, caught him, and Ukraine rushed closer to help as well.

"You can't go anywhere," Taiwan said. "You're in no condition…"

"I need to… help him," China said. "This is… because of me."

"Don't say that!" Ukraine demanded.

"No, he's right."

Russia entered the room, a grim expression on his face.

"If Tibet is being tortured, then it would most likely be Requiem's doing," Russia said. "Not only that, but China is able to sense that Tibet as a person is being hurt. If it was just a general attack in Tibet, then China wouldn't have used the word 'torture'. Of course, I want to know if it's simply sensing, or feeling."

"F-feeling," China stuttered. "It feels like he's on fire."

"He's feeling another person's pain. That means that the person, in other words Tibet, is being hurt for the express purpose of hurting China. So, is there a possibility that their idea is to lure China into a trap?"

China paled when he realised that. He started trembling.

"I can't… I can't just leave him like that…" China said. "Not after… I can't…"

China burst into tears, realising that he couldn't save his old friend. Tibet was suffering because of him, and if he did anything to try to save him, then he would be playing into the enemies' hands.

China didn't notice some of the other nations hovering around the door, one in particular.

…

Bhutan shivered. He had the feeling that something horrible was happening.

He couldn't sleep. He was plagued by visions. But in his current state of blindness, he found keeping his eyes open to be a torture in itself. At least with his eyes closed, he could pretend that things were better. As long as he didn't fall asleep.

He didn't know how long he would remain blind, but he knew that his condition made the visions clearer. And unfortunately, he could remember his dreams.

A volcanic eruption, destroying everything in its wake. Nothing but ashes and dried magma would remain.

He'd learned that there were literal visions, as well as symbolic visions. But he couldn't tell the difference between the two yet.

…

Black was driving, with White in the passenger seat. And in the backseat they had three European nations.

"The _polite_ thing would have been to tell us that you were coming," White said, her arms crossed.

"And give you a chance to make excuses?" Netherlands demanded. "I want to know what's going on. I heard your government has been shut down and my ambassador's been sent back. But you didn't recall _your_ ambassador."

"Kakkerlak," White muttered. "I knew I forgot something."

"And how long were you planning to wait at the airport?" Black asked. "You didn't know where we're staying."

"I was actually going to call within the hour," Luxembourg said. "I agree that Lars's plan wasn't well thought out."

"But I'm impressed by how soon you managed to pick up on us," Belgium said.

"Paraatheid," White muttered. "After what happened in Cape Town, we're on high alert. And if you want to find out what's going on… Wait until morning. We'll give you rooms, but you need to wait until we've had a few hours of sleep."

"I want to know right now," Netherlands said darkly.

"It's a long story, and frankly, we don't have the time or the energy for it right now," Black snapped. "If you could take a flight instead of simply calling us, then you can wait until the sun's up and we've had our coffee. Agreed?"

Netherlands grumbled, but he seemed to accept his defeat. The drive was silent until they reached the mansion.

"Woah," Luxembourg said. "How could you afford _this_?"

"We built this ourselves," White said. "Anyway, there are a hundred rooms or so. You each get one. And you're bringing your own luggage inside."

"Sounds fair," Luxembourg said, smiling sheepishly. "Thanks a lot. And sorry again."

"You're polite," Black said. "I like you."

…

Botswana was staring at Tunisia, curled up and asleep. He was trembling slightly, but in his astral form, Botswana couldn't tell if it was from cold or fear.

Morocco had asked him to see if he could find Tunisia. Seeing the worry in her eyes convinced him to give it a try. He had been fortunate not to run into the same issue as with Sao Tomé, but the appearance of the North African was worrisome.

Botswana tried to focus, and when things felt tangible, he knew that he was in Tunisia's dream. And the scene that played before him was frightening.

Algeria, looking savage. Feral. And she was attacking Tunisia. She was… _eating_ him. And Tunisia was screaming. Botswana closed his eyes, trying to erase the dream. Trying to get Tunisia's consciousness. He opened his eyes when he heard a whimper, and he could see a figure, curled up and trembling. They were the only things there. The entire world was a black void.

"Tunisia," Botswana called out, and the figure's head snapped up. "What happened?"

Tunisia stared at Botswana, as though he couldn't be sure that he was really there. He swallowed nervously.

"W-why are _y-you_ h-here?" Tunisia stuttered.

"My branch of magic allows me to go anywhere without physically leaving my current location," Botswana said. "It also allows me to enter dreams."

"This… is a dream?"

Tunisia blinked, and the revelation that it was a dream seemingly made him relax a bit, for he uncurled himself.

"What happened to you?" Botswana whispered.

Tunisia paused, before he started trembling again.

"Libya and Eritrea came to my house and kidnapped me," he said. "They… they brought me to this place and… to Algeria. She… She's not Basira anymore. She's not… They said that they stripped away her sanity and reason. And that they're doing the same to the others."

Botswana felt sick to his stomach. So, the dream wasn't a dream, but a memory. He could only imagine what else Tunisia had been through.

"And… did they do anything else to you?" Botswana asked.

"They told me… that I'm here so that they could test the others," Tunisia said. "Algeria's the first to pass the test. They'll check the others soon."

Botswana felt his blood run cold. They _needed_ to get Tunisia out of there as soon as possible. Before things turned really ugly.

"Are… are you part of Morocco's group?" Tunisia asked nervously.

"Not officially," Botswana said. "But I'm thinking of changing my mind."

Tunisia turned tearful eyes to him.

"Please, help me," he said. "They're brainwashing them. They're… they're monsters."

Botswana nodded in agreement.

…

Serbia opened his eyes when he heard the bedroom door open. He knew that something would happen. He'd seen that the two of them were eyeing him with no small degree of anger. He wouldn't put it past them to attack him in his sleep, which was why he opted for short micro naps. He knew that being prepared was the only way he could ensure his survival.

"What?" a voice whispered. "He's not here."

As an extra precaution, he thought it wise to sleep _under_ the bed, thankful that Slovenia kept long bedsheets.

"And it doesn't look like he's been here at all," the other voice whispered. "We need to check in with Kosovo. Perhaps he's there."

"And if not?" the first voice asked.

"Then we start with our plan for the others. Kosovo first."

Serbia gritted his teeth, but knew that there was nothing for him to be worried about. Kosovo was with him under his bed. The child nation had been too nervous after the revelation of the other two's true nature to dare be on his own. So, Serbia knew that he was safe.

The same could not be said for the others.

As soon as they saw that Kosovo wasn't in his bed, they might suspect him. If they were lucky, they would just assume that Serbia took him somewhere to hide him. If not, then Kosovo could have been outed as a member of Alvora, and with two enemy nations around, it could mean more danger for the child.

And what did they mean by 'plan for the others'?

Serbia turned around and started to shake Kosovo awake.

"Novak, wake up," Serbia said.

Kosovo groaned before opening his eyes. He yawned, before fixing his gaze on Serbia.

"What is it?" Kosovo asked.

"I need you to go to Matthew now," Serbia whispered. "It looks like they're making their move."

Kosovo's eyes widened, and he nodded his head. Serbia took out his pocket knife and made a small cut on Kosovo's finger, feeling guilty at the wince of pain. But it was necessary for him to use the spell.

Once Kosovo was gone, Serbia removed himself from under the bed and started preparing for the battle that was sure to follow.

…

India groaned when his phone rang, and he desperately reached out for it.

"Do you have any idea what time it is here?" India whined.

"Tibet's in trouble."

"Gilbert? What's this about Tibet?"

"China woke up screaming," Prussia explained. "He can _feel_ Tibet being tortured."

India pursed his lips.

"It's a trap," India said. "China shouldn't be feeling it under normal circumstances."

"Russia also pointed it out, and as much as I hate to agree with him, he's right," Prussia said. "You're the closest, so I was hoping that you would be able to help him."

India sighed.

"…If it's a trap for China, then anyone that approaches will be caught by the same trap," India said. "Not to mention that we have no idea where he is. He could be anywhere in his territory."

"…We'll ask some of the magical nations if they could track him down. In the meantime, you could try to get closer to Tibet's borders."

"I'll approach in the morning. If it's a trap, then Tibet would still be there. Until we find him, there's really nothing that I can do."

"You're right. And unfortunately, anyone in a position to help would be asleep. I'll see if Caio would be willing to help."

"And I'll rest until then. Goodnight."

"Gute Nacht."

India disconnected the call, before letting his hand fall and he closed his eyes.

Bangladesh mentioned that Bhutan had a feeling that Tibet was in danger. And he and Myanmar were worried about Tibet. India knew that they would be eager to help him. And India had to admit that he wanted to help Tibet as well. If there was a chance that Nepal was involved, then he could also use the opportunity to learn more about Bhutan.

In the morning.

…

Bosnia was abruptly awoken by a hand being clamped on his mouth. He let out a startled scream, but flinched when the lamp beside his bed was turned on, allowing him to see his attackers.

Slovenia and Bulgaria.

…

Herzegovina woke up with a gasp. She could sense that something was wrong, though it wasn't immediately clear to her _what_ was wrong. She closed her eyes, trying to find the source of her discomfort in her country, without luck.

She then focused on the feeling. It felt like a piece of her soul was missing, if she was being honest. And that was when she realised exactly what the problem was.

Bosnia.

At the realisation that the problem lay with her brother, she quickly scrambled out of bed, running towards the door. She needed to get to Bosnia's room as soon as possible. She didn't get far before she collided with someone.

"Woah, easy!" someone said, grabbing her arms to prevent her from falling. "Lejla? What's wrong?"

She looked up to see Serbia, and she sighed in relief.

"Damjan," she breathed. "Something… something's happening to Mirsad. I… I think he's under attack."

Serbia's eyes widened, and he turned to look in the direction of Bosnia's room.

"Stay here," Serbia said. "I'll check it out."

Her worry for her brother took a backseat to her outrage. As a female nation, she had been on the receiving end of many male nations telling her to stay back. As though she was some delicate flower that needed protecting.

"To hell with that," she growled. "My brother. _I_ need to…"

"If you want to help, go wake the others," Serbia said. "And then I'll explain the situation. But right now, it's too dangerous. _You_ don't know the danger. _I_ do. Please, just do as I say."

Herzegovina stared at Serbia for a moment before she nodded. She could see that he was genuinely worried.

"Alright," she said. "I'll trust you."

She then turned in the opposite direction, going to the door at the very end, while Serbia made his way to Bosnia's room.

…

Lebanon approached Canada, intent on telling him that she and Jordan had come to a decision. She knocked on the door to Canada's study, before opening the door. She then paused when she saw the scene on the other side.

There was a child there, one that she hadn't seen in the house earlier. He looked worried, and Canada looked a bit pale.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"There's something happening with the Yugoslavians," Israel said. "It seems Slovenia and Bulgaria decided to make their move."

"Are they… Requiem?"

Israel and Canada both nodded their heads.

"…I came to tell you that we spoke to those regions," Lebanon said. "And I agree that that group sounds… monstrous. I'm not sure how I feel about being a protectorate or anything…"

"We could do with you what we did with Brunei," Israel said. "He allowed a drop of blood to fall on the contract. It binds him without restricting him. The only real condition in that case is that you don't tell anyone about us. We'll also provide help when possible."

"So, you won't tell us to fight your battles for you?"

"No."

"That's all I needed to know."

…

Serbia took a deep breath before he opened the door to Bosnia's room, a pistol in hand. He wasn't too surprised to see Slovenia and Bulgaria there, and that Bosnia didn't seem to be moving.

"Well, look who it is," Slovenia said casually, his voice dripping with venom. "The others aren't around, so we can skip the pretences."

"What did you do to Mirsad?" Serbia asked, not removing his gaze from either of them.

"It's a simple lobotomy," Bulgaria said. "It has an interesting effect on nations. It takes about three days to heal from the process. And during that time, the nation's status is pretty much non-existent. This is one of the methods which we found works for killing nations."

Serbia gritted his teeth.

"Don't worry," Slovenia said. " _Killing_ him isn't our intention. Once the nation heals from this, they're never the same. The entire process is traumatising. If the mind hasn't been reprogrammed during that time, then the nation develops suicidal tendencies. Again, it takes three days after recovery to gain their nation status. If they don't kill themselves before then, they'll be trapped in an eternal loop of wanting to die, but not being able."

Serbia felt sick to his stomach. He could only imagine how they'd arrived at those conclusions.

"And you're doing _that_ to Bosnia?" Serbia asked.

"We'll be doing it to _everyone_ ," Bulgaria said. "But first, it's time for you to die."

 **I was looking for Bosnian names for both Bosnia and Herzegovina, and found one that seemed promising. A name from unknown origins, but it's believed that it's derived from Persian 'ambush'. It was too good to resist.**

' **Kakkerlak' isn't a swear word. The first three letters on their own are. This is one of the things people say when they're self-censoring. White would normally not do this, if not for the fact that one of the nations that raised her was in the car. 'Kakkerlak' actually means 'cockroach'. 'Paraatheid' means 'vigilance'.**

 **Anyway, wish us luck. Next Wednesday, 8 May, we have elections. Hopefully, all the idiots who keep voting for the ANC would be too sick to come vote. Same with the EFF. The BLF is thankfully a smaller party, but it seems like they're possibly being disqualified due to being more racist than the ANC (one of their posts on social media was that for every black person that dies, five white people need to be killed, and with a tragedy that struck a high school, they either posted or supported the post that said that they would celebrate if the victims were white and mourn if the victims were black – they definitely supported a post that claimed that a person didn't feel sorry for the five white kids (at that point) that died because that meant five less problems in the future, and this was** _ **before**_ **the names and races of the victims were revealed, it was just** _ **assumed**_ **that they'd be white because the name of the school is in Afrikaans; the person was chewed out by every ethnic group in South Africa, and had to block his Facebook page from public viewing). So, yeah, hopefully everything goes well.**


	37. Chapter 36

**Thanks to Ate Luya, AquaEclipse and Eternal Nexus Warrior for reviewing.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 36**

Serbia quickly drew his gun, before either Slovenia or Bulgaria could make their moves. Slovenia snorted in amusement.

"You haven't managed to replicate our technology yet," Slovenia said. "Those bullets won't kill us."

"Not permanently," Serbia agreed. "But it _will_ allow me to restrain you."

Bulgaria and Slovenia removed their own handguns, and Serbia's eyes darted between the two, trying to figure out which one would be most likely to shoot first.

Serbia could hear the others moving outside, and Slovenia and Bulgaria seemed to hear it as well, for they both gained masks of anger.

"Shit," Slovenia said. "What are they doing up?"

"You made a mistake in going for the one sharing a country first," Serbia said. "Lejla woke up, and I told her to wake the others."

"Fuck," Bulgaria said, before he turned to Slovenia. "We need to retreat."

Slovenia didn't answer, instead firing his gun. Serbia jumped out of the way, and Slovenia rushed towards Bosnia, grabbing him and Bulgaria grabbing onto Slovenia. Bulgaria shot at Serbia, who rfdgolled out of the way, having landed on the ground in his effort to dodge the previous bullet. This attempt wasn't as successful as the previous, and Serbia grunted in pain as the bullet dug into his thigh.

Slovenia and Bulgaria disappeared, taking Bosnia with them. And a moment later, the other Yugoslavians rushed into the room.

"What happened?" Montenegro asked. "We heard gunshots."

"Slovenia and Bulgaria," Serbia said. "They work for an organisation that, among other things, is responsible for killing Germany. And they took Bosnia."

"What?" Herzegovina asked.

"Everyone, I need you to grab onto me," Serbia said. "I don't care where, just grab me."

"What are you…?" Croatia asked.

"JUST DO IT!"

They weren't used to seeing Serbia so tense and angry, at least not since the fall of Yugoslavia. Macedonia immediately knelt down to place her hand on Serbia's shoulder, though she was more worried about the gunshot wound.

"We need to get that tended to," she said.

"There's no time," Serbia said desperately. "This is _Slovenia's_ land. He can…"

They were startled by a tremor, and Serbia hissed a curse.

"Grab onto me, now, and I'll explain everything later!" Serbia ordered. "Please!"

There was another tremor, this one harder, and everyone except for Herzegovina grabbed onto Serbia, not quite knowing the purpose. Herzegovina hesitated.

"I couldn't find Kosovo," she said.

"I already sent him to safety," Serbia said. "Please."

She sighed before crouching down and grabbing his hand, just as another tremor hit.

"ADANAC!" Serbia shouted.

…

Slovenia clucked his tongue in annoyance.

"Looks like Serbia managed to get the rest of them out of there," Slovenia said. "None of them are in my country anymore."

"I think Serbia was right," Bulgaria said. "We shouldn't have gone for the person who shares a country first."

"No matter," Slovenia said, turning to the dazed Bosnia. "At least we managed to get one of them. Disappointing, I know, but at least it's a start."

…

Canada and the others were startled by the sudden flash of light and alarmed sounds. And he grew alarmed as well when he saw the figure in the centre of it all.

"Damjan!" he exclaimed, rushing over towards Serbia.

Serbia had a bloody wound on his thigh, and Canada knew that it needed to be treated right away. Serbia was also pale, and looked as though he was struggling to stay awake, most likely due to the spell.

He gave Canada a smile before his eyes rolled back and he went limp. Croatia was the one to catch him.

"Since when is America and Damjan on a first-name basis?" Montenegro asked.

"He's Canada," Kosovo explained. "And he's Damjan's boyfriend."

"What?!" the Balkans all exclaimed in shock.

"I need to go tend to Damjan's wound," Canada said, easily lifting Serbia into his arms. "Any questions, you can ask the others. Olivier! First aid kit!"

Canada left the room, carrying Serbia to his own bedroom.

…

Jamaica was, once again, extremely annoyed.

The others were enjoying their dinner, and normally, Jamaica would have tried having fun with them by now. But Haiti's spell was still in effect, so Jamaica couldn't even _touch_ them.

It was painful if he tried.

Dominican Republic had informed everyone about Haiti's house, and that the only part that _hadn't_ burned was the basement. Jamaica wondered if there was, perhaps, some sort of magical protection.

He was slightly annoyed because Haiti hadn't sent a retaliation in his general direction. One would have thought that committing arson on one's personal house would have sparked a reaction, but _nope_. Which made him wonder if, perhaps, Haiti had another house. One that he didn't inform anyone else about.

…Well, Jamaica wasn't one to judge, since he had one or two houses like that of his own.

Still, Jamaica was left with nothing to _do_. His original goal was to go off with the Caribbeans, and in one fell swoop, slaughter them all. Maybe keep one or two of them around. And then came news of Alvora, and he needed to see which among the Caribbean nations would be an enemy. Then he not only managed to find him, but he also learned that the enemy nation had cast a spell which prevented him from harming any of the other Caribbeans. Even a friendly pat on the back was risky.

Alvora changed the plans of Requiem… So perhaps Jamaica needed to change his own plan. He might want to discuss things with his ally in Oceania, but he was sure that he could come up with a new alternative that would still cause some misery.

…

Black and White were leading the Benelux siblings down a hallway, on their way to the only three unoccupied rooms on this floor. The Alvora nations and the others stayed on separate floors for the comfort of the non-members.

The third room in front of them opened, and they could see a breathless Botswana, who sighed in relief when he saw them.

"Anika, Themba, thank goodness," he breathed. "I… When did Netherlands and the others get here?"

"They came by unannounced," White sighed. "We're giving them rooms, and then you can tell us."

"Actually, why don't _you_ take care of the Europeans?" Black asked. "I'll find out what Sammy wants."

White nodded her head, before she led the Europeans away, even resorting to dragging Netherlands who decided that he would much rather listen in on the conversation. White was stronger.

Black went with Botswana back to his room, and once the door was closed, he leaned against the wood.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"I found Tunisia," Botswana said. "They're in some sort of facility in Greenland. It… It's some sort of brainwashing facility."

Black winced, closing his eyes.

"Do you know who else is there?" Black asked.

Botswana shuddered, but nodded his head.

"Algeria, Sudan, Nigeria, DRC and Uganda," Botswana said. "I took a detour in some of their minds." He looked as though he was about to vomit. "Tunisia told me that they're stripping away all of their sanity and reason. He's right. I went to Algeria's mind. There's _nothing_ human about her left. The others are still hanging on a thread, but it looks like the thread's about to snap."

"And what about Tunisia?" Black asked.

Botswana shook his head.

"He's not there for their indoctrination," Botswana said. "He's there to test the _others'_ indoctrination. Algeria… He was cannibalised by Algeria. And part of the tests they're doing is to test how willing they are to resort to something like that. They're stripping away their humanity and starving them."

"In that state, they're willing to attack anything they consider to be food," Black finished, horrified. "Even if it's someone they used to know. But… _What_ could they be intending for something like this?"

"I don't know," Botswana said. "And I don't want to find out. But we _need_ to get Tunisia out of there."

"…Greenland, you say? None of the African nations would be willing to do that. Greenland is too cold for us."

"And the place is in a particularly remote and northern location."

"There are a few nations on our side who can handle the cold. It's up to them."

Black was already listing through his options, as well as trying to find the best way to tell Morocco about the fate that befell her brother and sister.

…

White led Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg to their rooms, explaining once again to her former coloniser that it was a long story, and that it was late. Netherlands didn't want to let the matter drop, but when Belgium asked him, he finally admitted defeat.

She was on her way back to her own room when she heard footsteps behind her. She turned around to see Black walking behind her, a heavy expression on his face.

"How bad is it?" White asked.

"Good news is, he found the missing Africans," Black said. "The bad news is that they're being brainwashed."

White sighed.

"Of _course_ they are," she said. "But there's more, isn't there?"

Black pursed his lips, before nodding.

"Tunisia is being used to test the effects of the brainwashing," Black said. "He was cannibalised by Algeria. Sammy said that there's _nothing_ human about her left. The others still have a shred of humanity, but they're losing it fast."

White felt a bubble of nausea in her stomach. Hearing that, she could understand why Black looked the way he did. And she felt guilty. The plan had been to get the nations to sign the contracts and start working on fixing the damage that the humans had done to their countries. There had been no need to have them all together. But Requiem changed everything. They should have insisted that everyone stay in one location, but the others were already resenting the fact that they had lost their independence. If they stole their freedom as well, then they would achieve the opposite of what they intended.

Trying to place their comfort first had resulted in Tunisia being captured and forced to suffer through horrible torture.

They were going to send the message in the morning: all of them needed to come to South Africa immediately. They would pick them up at the airport, and they would take them to a safe location. And they would make sure that the others realised that they were only doing this for their safety.

They couldn't allow Requiem to continue as they were. They couldn't allow anyone else to fall victim to them.

…

Israel sighed, allowing the flood of questions to wash over him. He had explained everything about Alvora and Requiem, and told them that Slovenia and Bulgaria were both members of Requiem.

Lebanon, not being involved, took Kosovo out of the room and towards the regions. And since Canada and Quebec were busy tending to Serbia, Israel was completely alone with the remaining Yugoslavian nations. They were dealing with a sense of betrayal. They were dealing with the loss of one of their own. And they were worried about another one of their group being injured. Israel had a lot on his plate.

"Please," he said, raising his hand. "I understand that you've got a lot of questions, but could you _please_ ask them one at a time? I'm only one person."

They thankfully grew silent, and Israel waited patiently for one of them to speak first. It was Herzegovina.

"What happened to Bosnia?" she asked.

"I don't know," Israel said. "Damjan is the one that dealt with the others. You'll have to ask him once he wakes up."

"But… What _would_ they do?"

"We still don't know what they do to their prisoners. Your guess is as good as mine. However… The odds of them being brainwashed are very high."

"Of course," Montenegro said. "It would make sense, actually. To do it like that. What _I_ want to know is how they would have escaped."

"They seem to have a device that can do it," Israel said. "A teleporter, if you will. Some of us have seen it first-hand. Then there's the fact that they were in Slovenia's land. A nation can instantly travel anywhere in their own country, provided they _are_ in the country. I don't think many nations outside our two groups know how to do it. Especially not with passengers."

The others looked around at each other. No, they hadn't known that they could do that.

"And… how did _we_ get _here_?" Croatia asked.

"We've had a spell cast on us a few centuries ago, and we keep adding it to our newer members," Israel said. "It allows us to instantly travel to any nation we want. Useless for invasions, in case you're wondering. It takes us _directly_ to the person. But it's also draining. It's easier, but it has its negative aspects."

"Is that why Damjan passed out?" Macedonia asked.

Israel simply nodded his head.

"What are you going to do to _us_ now?" Montenegro asked.

"It would be in your best interest to stay with us and allow us to protect you," Israel said. "They already targeted one of you. It's entirely possible that they would target more. Again, we'll need to ask Damjan if they said anything to him. There are other nations that turned up missing as well."

"And what do we have to do in the meantime?" Croatia asked.

"Relax," Israel said. "It was night where you were, right? Get some sleep."

"One more question," Macedonia said. "What was that about Serbia having a boyfriend?"

Israel shrugged his shoulders, a small smile on his face.

"We decided to move away from our countries' politics," he said, "and pursue our own happiness. Damjan and Matthew are just one pair."

Macedonia smiled.

"Then I'm glad he decided to be happy," she said.

…

Texas had gone to the airport. She was waiting for two arrivals.

She gasped when someone pounced on her from behind, covering her eyes, but a giggle in her ear told her who it was and made her relax.

"Mia, get off me," she said.

"Aw, how'd you know it's me?" California asked.

"Only one person I know has a giggle like that."

California released her, and Texas whirled around, not surprised to see California pouting slightly.

"You're no fun, Olivia," California complained.

"Requiem is involved," Texas said. "There's nothing _fun_ about the situation."

California sobered up, before her eyes darted around.

"Where's Ava?" she asked.

"She's not here yet," Texas responded.

"You don't think they got her, do you?"

"Hey, you could give me _some_ credit!"

California's face lightened up, and she spun around to embrace New Mexico, who had approached them from the side. Texas sighed in relief. That meant all three of them were there now.

"Come on, let's get going," Texas said, before she spun towards the direction of the exit.

"Um, how are we getting there?" New Mexico asked nervously.

"They have this island that came by who could drive us," Texas said dismissively. "Quebec and Canada were both busy."

"Ooh, are they cute?" California asked enthusiastically.

"Pretty cute. And apparently interested in Alberta."

California pouted, and New Mexico couldn't help but chuckle at that.

…

Yemen was still awake, processing everything. He had decided to join an organisation that had been lying to the world for centuries. Well, one of two, and apparently the nice one.

He couldn't help but laugh at Portugal's reaction when Oman told him to learn the human names of all the members. The European had muttered that it wasn't a _rule_ , but Yemen could see that it was true. They called each other by their human names.

It felt… nice, actually. The thought of it. It meant they trusted each other. It meant that they were loyal to each other.

Though, he didn't think he'd feel comfortable if they immediately started calling him by his human name.

…

Canada was keeping a vigil over Serbia. The latter had yet to wake, though his life was no longer in danger. The bullet had managed to miss the artery, and when Canada removed it, he realised that it was the same type of bullet he had been shot with.

They knew already, thanks to Indonesia, that a wound, even non-fatal, took a longer time to heal naturally. And Canada knew first-hand that these types of wounds were really painful. But Serbia would be fine. His life wasn't in danger, and he would be fine. He just needed to wake up.

Canada placed a kiss on the other's forehead, and while the older nation stirred, he didn't wake. Canada would still wait with him. As long as was needed.

…

Denmark couldn't sleep. His thoughts were keeping him awake. And the more he thought, the more he figured that one of the others was an Alvora nation.

The possibility had played around in his mind for a while, but he was sure that _now_ , he knew who it was. And he was making plans around this nation.

He knew that Alvora knew about all of their identities. And throughout the day, he'd seen this nation acting a bit differently than before. It was very subtle, and he doubted that the other three noticed it. But Denmark could see the small signs. How his fingers would twitch whenever he suddenly noticed Denmark's presence. How he looked as though he was trying to decipher Denmark's words. And how he'd hesitated before eating the food that Denmark had prepared for them.

He figured that he wouldn't have seen it himself, had he not been looking.

He knew that he needed to deal with his enemy, before he could work on the others. Or perhaps, he should deal with them all in one fell swoop. He had the power, as well as a weapon.

Denmark was starting to get impatient. Not only because he wanted to accomplish his goals, but because he wanted to return to his Swiss lover.

 **The scene where Prussia revealed that Denmark is interested in green-eyed blonds had a fair bit of foreshadowing. Both Poland and Switzerland are green-eyed blonds, and both are on opposite sides. But we already knew that Poland's lover is a Nordic, so the assumption was that it would be Denmark. However, there was an extra bit of foreshadowing in favour of Requiem: Prussia revealing what type of person Denmark found attractive. Prussia and Lithuania spent the entire Soviet era pretending that they weren't lovers, and Alvora's strongest quality is loyalty. Prussia wouldn't betray the love-life of one of his allies if he had to keep his own love-life secret. He was also specifically talking about honesty while drinking. Knowing Denmark and Prussia's personalities and mutual love of beer, they would have gone drinking together.**

 **Still waiting for the election results… seriously, wish us luck.**


	38. Chapter 37

**Thanks to Ate Luya, AquaEclipse and Eternal Nexus Warrior for reviewing.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 37**

India stepped into the kitchen, seeing that Bangladesh and Myanmar were already there, sipping on black tea. The bags under their eyes told him that neither of them had gotten sleep. India couldn't blame them. He was also pretty tired. And the looks that they gave him told him that he still wasn't forgiven for his deception.

"We have a problem," India said.

" _You_ , or _us_?" Bangladesh asked.

"Depends on whether or not you care for Tibet."

The two gave him odd looks, and India knew that he could continue safely.

"Gilbert – Prussia – is with China at the moment," India said. "During the night, China woke up screaming in pain. He could sense that Tibet was being tortured. And I was hoping that you might help me save him. Perhaps, in the process, we can learn more about Loday."

The other two glanced towards each other, silently communicating with each other, before turning back to India.

"Do you even know _where_ to find him?" Myanmar asked.

"Not yet," India said. "But I can find out."

" _If_ you can, and _if_ you're telling the truth, then we're in," Bangladesh said. "Loday _did_ say something about Jampa being in trouble."

India sighed in relief. Now, he just needed to find someone willing to track down Tibet.

…

South woke up from his nap, before turning to Tibet. The monk was still not revived, and his body was still recovering. He didn't heal as fast as a nation, and until he woke, South had nothing better to do.

He stretched his hands above his head, before wandering around the former village. He was pleased by the destruction he caused. It had been tricky to contain it so as to avoid detection from his target, but everything had been worth it.

He just wished he knew what was going on with China. That China was suffering. Well, he _had_ a way to find out. He quickly took out his second phone, the one he reserved for calls like this, and pressed the number. He so loved the invention of speed dial.

"Hello?" a groggy voice responded.

"Nolae," South said. "What news do you have of China?"

"China is with France," the same voice said, this time in monotone. "Last night, he woke up screaming in pain. He could sense Tibet being tortured. He wanted to leave for Tibet, but everyone convinced him that it was a trap and a bad idea."

"Hmm, they're half right. Tell me, who else is there?"

The other listed the names, and South nodded his head, arching his eyebrow as he heard one particular name. He finally chuckled.

"Thank you," he said. "Go back to sleep. Nolae."

The call was disconnected, and South started wandering back to Tibet's location. There was still time left before he could continue. He might as well spend the time sharpening his blades.

…

Palestine was anxious as she prepared breakfast. She wanted to take down Israel, and the small attacks at the border weren't enough. She needed to strike him where it hurt.

Egypt had informed her that the nations of Requiem weren't bothered by attacks to their countries, and that Alvora seemed to be on the same page. So she knew that attacking a major city like Jerusalem wouldn't be helpful.

However, Egypt had told her something the previous day that could, perhaps, prove useful: India.

She found it a bit too hard to believe, but then again, a few days ago she would have thought that Egypt and Peru being a couple would have been impossible. The fact that Israel might have decided to get a boyfriend shouldn't be too shocking. She couldn't really imagine Israel and India, but she'd learned that stranger things had happened.

Now, she just needed to find a way to get to India.

"You look like the gears in your head are spinning."

She wasn't too surprised to hear Egypt, and she turned to face him, her arms crossed.

"Attacks to Israel's country are proving fruitless," she said. "I want to hit him where it would hurt the most: India."

Egypt smirked.

"Now we just need to find out _where_ India is," Egypt said. "Do you have any ideas?"

"Not really, no," she admitted.

"What is the point of having a good idea if you don't know how to implement it?"

She averted her eyes, knowing that he had a point.

"As it so happens, I have a way to reach India," Egypt said. "Not directly, but we could make him suffer. Severely."

"What, are you going to send one of your ancient curses?" Palestine scoffed.

"As a matter of fact, yes."

…

Kiribati opened her eyes, her brain feeling as though it was trying to escape from her skull. She looked around, seeing that she was alone. And when she checked the clock on the wall, her eyes widened in shock.

It was already nine in the morning.

She quickly jumped out of bed, before she quickly grabbed onto the bed. She felt woozy. She waited a while, before she made her way to the door. Just as she was about to open it, someone opened it from the other side.

She and Tuvalu stared at each other for a long moment before Tuvalu's face lit up, and she pulled Kiribati into a tight hug.

"Aulani, you're awake!" Tuvalu exclaimed.

"Sefina, what's gotten into you?" Kiribati demanded, trying to pry the other off.

"You were asleep all day yesterday."

Kiribati paused. She gently pulled herself away, staring down at the slightly shorter girl.

"What?" she asked.

"We even called the UK to tell us about what could be happening," Tuvalu said. "They said that, if it's magic, the best thing to do would be to let you rest."

"Magic?"

"New Zealand can't get close to you. He said you keep blowing him away."

Upon hearing New Zealand's name, Kiribati was filled with a deep sense of dread. She couldn't help but think back to the dream she'd had. A black sheep standing in a blood-drenched field. The sheep that revealed itself to be a wolf. And all of the other sheep had their fleeces stained with blood.

Why would simply hearing New Zealand's name cause her to think about that dream? It was a nightmare, and she wanted to forget it as soon as possible.

Her thoughts were pulled back to the present when she realised that she had been asleep for more than twenty-four hours. Her body was trying to tell her that its basic needs needed to be tended to.

"Bathroom," she muttered, before pushing past Tuvalu and heading towards the bathroom.

…

Romania was looking over the diamonds that the South Africas kept in their home. Romania had told them a long time ago that gemstones had the power to augment magic. Considering the wealth they possessed, they were among the best sources for things like this. Especially considering the size of some of their diamonds.

Of course, a nation had the power to create one of their natural resources at a moment's notice. That was what they did. All of the diamonds in this room were personally created by Black and White. And they also created other materials, not just diamonds, but also metals and other gems.

Some of the more beautiful and larger gems had already been set into an amulet or a ring. Even though they hadn't believed that they had magic, or at least not awakened magic, they were still kind enough to gather a large number of resources for the magical nations.

This room was the best place to gather moonlight, and so the gemstones were all purified. Romania just needed to find a stone that would be compatible with him. He needed these to fuel his magic, and consequently his energy wouldn't run out as fast. He could continue longer, and he could cast more powerful spells.

His hand lingered over one of the amulets. It was a large amulet, with the diamond cut into a sphere. The gold and platinum the stone was set in was also circular, and the chain was also made of gold. It was next to a large ring, with another diamond cut into a rectangular shape. Hovering his hand over the two pieces of jewellery revealed that the two diamonds were once one.

Romania grinned, before he took the pair. As soon as he put them on, he could feel his magical energy grow. He knew that he'd found the perfect gem.

…

White sighed, massaging her temples. Sitting across from her were Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg. Black had delegated the task of informing them about the current affairs to her while he calmed Morocco down. She just needed to figure out how she was going to explain to her former coloniser and his siblings.

"Where to start?" she muttered.

"Why don't you start explaining what you're doing in your country?" Netherlands demanded.

White sighed in annoyance.

"Well, there's a lot going on, so maybe I should start from the very beginning," she said.

"Is there really so much information?" Belgium asked.

White nodded.

"It all started a century or two after the fall of Rome," she said. "A young nation was questioning the rules that govern us. He was wondering why nations are slaves to humans, and why nations had to treat each other like they did. So, he decided to bring about a change to the world. That nation was Portugal."

Netherlands arched an eyebrow, but at least none of them were asking questions.

"Portugal realised that he wouldn't be able to do it alone, so he decided to look for allies that could and would help," White continued. "He found a few, but it was still a long time before they could bring about the change they imagined. And then Portugal set sail. He found nations in other parts of the world. Young nations. Nations that he raised with his ideals."

"His colonies," Belgium supplied.

"Among others," White nodded. "I was the first of these nations to join. There was a long gap between my birth and your colony, boet."

Netherland narrowed his eyes.

"And when was your birth?" he asked.

"When was my discovery?" White countered. "It wasn't long after that. Together with the new nations, Portugal and his allies – Alvora – started working under the noses of their governments and other nations. Only a select few humans were approached to aid us with our goals. I believe the Middle Ages called them 'heretics'. The ancient times would have called them 'philosophers'. We worked on a duel-system: the system governed by humans, and the system governed by us. We allowed the humans to do what they wanted, with only minor interferences. The shutting down of the government is the end of the humans' system, and the start of our own actions."

"Start of your own actions?" Luxembourg said.

"The idea had been to implement our plans on other nations. We've started work on Africa, which is why several embassies had been cut off."

"So, you're starting a new empire," Netherlands said coolly.

"In a way, yes. Just so you know, the Portuguese Empire never ended. The humans gained independence, while the nations remained loyal. We are also not underlings, but equal partners."

"And Spain?"

"He's not a part of this. Miguel approached him before, but when the Inquisition rolled around, he saw that Spain wasn't suitable for his goals."

"And the attack on one of your capitals?"

White winced, and she sighed.

"That's another can of worms," she said. "We were still not ready to implement our plans, but our hands were forced. They're called Requiem, another organisation that operated in the shadows, which we failed to notice. They're responsible for the deaths of Japan, Germany, England and America."

Their eyes widened, and they leaned closer.

"They were planning to take out the G7 on the same day," White said, "since they're basically in the role of leaders. Take out the world leaders, and the rest are easy pickings. Italy is the leader of Requiem, along with Romano. France wasn't available for assassination. And Canada is one of us."

"Matthew?" Lars asked, blinking.

"Ja. He was attacked by Mexico, who was fond enough of him to tell him enough about Requiem for us to raise the alarms. He managed to escape, and recovered from his injury. We then moved in to… I wouldn't want to say 'conquer' Africa, but that's pretty much what we did. We also exposed five African members of Requiem, who escaped with five other nations. Themba and the others are working to rescue them. We finally managed to get a lead on their location. Requiem has less than altruistic motives."

The three siblings were silent for a long while. White allowed them to absorb the information. Finally, Netherlands cleared his throat.

"What are you going to do now that we know?" he asked.

"I'm going to have to ask you to sign a contract," White said. "Or to at least place your mark on it. See, we can't have you tell other nations about this. Not when some of them are aware of Requiem. We don't want to be associated with them."

"How is a contract going to prevent us from telling anyone?" Luxembourg asked.

"Magic. We've been very thorough."

"And what happens after we sign?" Belgium asked.

"If you sign, you agree to place yourself under the protection of Alvora, and you also agree to allow us to make changes to your government. If you just mark the contract, then you agree to secrecy."

"So, you want us to sign our independence away?" Netherlands demanded.

"Says the former colonial power."

Netherlands hesitated, and Luxembourg couldn't help but chuckle.

"You can't deny she has a good point," Luxembourg said. "If you have a problem with it, then you should go ahead and call the kettle black, Mr Pot."

"She _does_ have a point," Belgium muttered. "I just want to know one thing: What happened to DRC?"

White flinched, before she leaned back.

"…He's one of the nations that were captured by Requiem," she said. "Like I said, we finally have a lead on his location, but we'd need some of the more cold-resistant nations to handle it."

"Cold?" Luxembourg asked.

"They're somewhere in Greenland."

"Greenland?" Netherlands repeated. "Does Denmark know?"

"He's part of Requiem."

…

Greenland was looking through her data when she felt someone moving in behind her. She didn't have to look to know that Faroe was the one behind her.

"How's it going?" Faroe asked.

"Algeria still needs to be kept unconscious for 36 hours, give or take," Greenland said. "Uganda is starting to show signs of life. His lobotomy is almost healed, then we'll see how to proceed from there. And DRC's given a few _interesting_ results."

She turned up the volume to DRC's cell, and Faroe smirked.

" _This_ should be interesting," he said. "Do you think there would be a triangle?"

"I hope so," Greenland said, smirking. "This would be the perfect recipe for chaos. And the perfect recipe for torture."

…

The Nordics sat down for breakfast, with the exception of Denmark. They were eating in silence, with only Finland desperately trying to carry a conversation. Finland couldn't help but worry about what Denmark might be doing, but the others weren't particularly worried.

At least, not until Sweden grew tense.

He grunted in pain, grasping his chest. Finland immediately turned worried eyes to Sweden.

"Swe, what's wrong?" he asked.

"S-Stockholm," he grunted. "It's being a-attacked."

A moment later, Norway doubled over in pain, a grimace crossing his face.

"Oslo?" Finland whispered.

Norway nodded his head, and Finland and Iceland shared a look. They were torn between confusion about what was happening, and worry that it might happen to them next.

Sweden gasped, before looking towards the entrance of the dining room. Standing there was Denmark, a grin on his face.

"The attack is from the Danish army," Sweden muttered.

"What's the meaning of this?!" Norway snarled.

"The age of Ragnarök has started," Denmark said.

"What are you talking about?" Finland asked.

"Think of it as the return of the Kalmar Union," Denmark said. "Except this time, I won't be so lenient. Not that _you_ would be here to see it, Tino. Did you think I wouldn't realise that you were Alvora?"

Finland gasped, and he quickly stood up. Sweden and Norway were looking at him with confusion.

"What does he mean?" Norway asked.

"Denmark is part of the group responsible for killing Germany and the others," Finland said.

"And Finland is part of a group that's standing in our way," Denmark said. "Which is why he's going to die now. Icy, if you'd do the honours."

Finland's eyes widened, and a moment later, he was tackled to the ground by Iceland. Finland started to struggle, until he saw how blank Iceland's eyes were. The moment of hesitation allowed Iceland to wrap his hands around Finland's throat.

"No!" Sweden said, standing to aid Finland, before he cried out in pain.

"No one's interfering," Denmark said.

"What… did you… do to Ice?" Finland gasped.

"He spent some time in the Washroom," Denmark said. "He became one of our sleepers."

Finland's eyes widened, and he tried to pry Iceland's hands off. The island was stronger than Finland expected. Finland knew that he wouldn't die permanently by strangulation, but another possibility occurred to him: Denmark could easily kill him while he was unconscious and unable to fight.

"S-stop," Norway said, wincing in pain. "Why?"

"Like I said," Denmark said. "This is the return of the Kalmar Union."

…

Kugelmugel wandered into Austria's home. Something had happened, he was sure. The entire country had been in turmoil, and the micronation felt that it would be safer if he went to the nation himself.

He knew that Austria would be in the music room, though as he walked towards the room, he couldn't help but think that the silence was eerie.

And when he entered, the silence was shattered by his scream.

 **And the ANC won… Honestly, my country is filled with idiots.**


	39. Chapter 38

**Thanks to Ate Luya and AquaEclipse for reviewing. We've finally reached the 100-review milestone. Dankie.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 38**

Finland was desperately struggling against Iceland, but the island nation had an insane amount of strength. He was stronger than Finland tapping into his hidden resources, focused only on strangling the Finnish nation.

He winced when Iceland's grip tightened, and black spots were already dancing in his vision. Sweden and Norway were watching this, and it was clear that one of them was about to snap.

Sweden was the first to snap, trying to ignore the pain that he was going through in order to try and pry Iceland from Finland. However, he was intercepted by Denmark, who threw him away against the opposite wall. Sweden grunted, and Finland was sure he heard a foreboding _crack_.

"No interruptions," Denmark said darkly, before looking towards Norway.

Norway hesitated, glancing between Iceland and Finland, and Sweden. It was clear that he wanted to help, but he also didn't want to end up like Sweden.

Finland closed his eyes, knowing that he would have to make a horrible decision. Carefully, he shifted his hand under his waist, where he was keeping a pistol – which had been digging into his back the whole time – just in case. He carefully removed it, removing the safety, before he aimed it at Iceland's stomach.

"Sorry," Finland said weakly.

Finland pulled the trigger, and Iceland didn't even flinch. Finland continued to shoot a few more times, and Iceland's grip started to falter, and Finland realised that the blood loss was affecting him. Seeing his chance, Finland kicked Iceland away, gasping for breath.

He was still recovering when someone stomped on his chest. He knew that it was Denmark before he had a chance to fix his eyes on the other, and while there was a smirk on his face, his eyes shone with annoyance.

"Didn't think you'd do something like that," Denmark said. "Where's your passive ideology?"

"The ends… justify… the means," Finland grunted.

Denmark blinked, before he smirked again, a glimmer in his eyes.

"You don't say?" he sneered. "That's interesting."

Finland's stomach sank, and Denmark stomped harder on his chest.

"You know, I think I changed my mind," he said. "I think we should take you to the Washroom. Let's see if we can change that mind of yours."

Finland still had the pistol in his hand, and he tried to raise it, but Denmark saw this, and stomped on his arm, making Finland cry out in pain.

"Not so fast," Denmark said. "I'm not going to let you get away this time. No blood. No spell."

Finland realised that Denmark was right. Without blood, there was no way for him to activate the spell. The only alternative was to shoot himself, if he wanted to make a getaway. But just as the thought crossed his mind, Denmark kicked the gun away.

Denmark then crouched down, wrapping his hand around Finland's throat, continuing what Iceland started. Finland tried to push him away, but he was still weak from the prior abuse his body had suffered.

"You're a lot weaker than I thought you'd be," Denmark said. "Is it just you, or Alvora in general?"

Finland's eyes started to water, and his vision was once again going dark. Denmark had a tighter grip than Iceland, but Denmark's was fuelled by rage.

Denmark then yelped, flying off of Finland. The other immediately scrambled to his feet, though it was with some difficulty. He turned to see Norway standing there, his hand outstretched. Norway had used magic to get Denmark away from Finland.

"You shouldn't have done that," Denmark growled, rising to his feet.

Norway kept his attention on Finland as he was muttering another spell.

"What are you…?" Finland started to ask.

It was in that instant that there was a flash, before Finland experienced severe cold. He instantly wrapped his arms around himself, not prepared for the sudden bout of icy wind. He looked up when he sensed someone nearby, and he blinked a bit in recognition.

"Svalbard?" he questioned.

…

Denmark stared at the spot where Finland had disappeared, before turning his anger-fuelled gaze to Norway.

"What the hell did you _do_?" he demanded.

"You said that Tino is part of a group that's getting in the way of _your_ group," Norway said calmly. "That means that it's important for him to get away from here."

Denmark growled, before he stalked over to Norway. The younger Nordic was still in pain, but tried to back up. His retreat was halted by Denmark grabbing a fistful of his hair, making him wince in pain.

"You're under _my_ control now," Denmark said. "Anything you do will be decided by _me_. I'm not going to let any of you slip away this time."

Norway gasped as Denmark twisted his hand, breaking his neck in the process. The smaller male was dropped to the ground, before Denmark started to advance on Sweden, who glared at the other.

"What are you going to do?" Sweden growled.

"We're going to relive the Kalmar Union," Denmark said darkly. "And if you think last time was bad, _this_ time would be worse."

…

Poland was anxiously tapping his bowl with the spoon, his gaze faraway. Czechia was watching him for a while, before she finally decided that enough was enough.

"Would you stop doing that?!" she demanded.

Poland jumped in surprise, dropping the spoon. He blinked a few times, as though he was returning to reality.

"Sorry," he muttered.

Czechia huffed, though she kept an eye on him. Lithuania turned to Poland with worry.

"Is something happening to Tino?" he asked.

Poland stared blankly for a moment, before he nodded his head.

"Tino?" Slovakia repeated.

"Finland," Lithuania clarified. "He and Feliks are an item."

Czechia choked on her cereal, and Slovakia blinked in surprise.

"Finland and Poland?" he repeated. "Didn't think that would be possible."

"Please tell me _you_ don't have someone," Czechia said, looking at Lithuania.

"Actually, I'm in a relationship with Prussia," Lithuania said, smiling.

Czechia stared at him blankly for a moment before she buried her head in her hands.

"Reality doesn't make any sense anymore," she muttered.

…

"I'll tell him," Black said, before he disconnected the call. He then moved to find Botswana.

He found Botswana in his room, experimenting with his new art supplies. Black watched for a moment, having an appreciation for abstract art, before he decided to get to the point. He cleared his throat, and Botswana jumped in surprise, having failed to notice him.

"O-oh, Themba," he stuttered, his cheeks gaining a bit of rouge. "Is there something I can help you with?"

"Sorry to bother you when you're having fun," Black said. "But we need your help again."

Botswana's face fell, but he nodded.

"Alright," he said. "Who do you want me to track down?"

"Tibet," Black said. "It's a request from India."

"How serious is it?"

"Apparently, China woke up in the middle of the night, since he can sense Tibet being tortured."

"…So, it's pretty serious."

Botswana looked conflicted, and Black arched an eyebrow.

"Is it a problem?" he asked.

"No," Botswana said. "It's just been a long time since I've been so active. And I'm pretty well rested now… Do you have any sleeping pills? Or even chamomile tea?"

"We only have rooibos. But we do have sleeping pills. One will be fine, right?"

"Sure."

Black nodded, before he went to get the pills for Botswana.

…

Nepal entered the dining room, where the Latin Americans were eating breakfast. Asides from scrambled eggs, they also had a bowl of minced meat. A quick whiff immediately told him what it was.

"Hey there, Neppy," Mexico greeted. "Want some?"

"You know I hate it when you call me that," Nepal said. "So, who is it?"

"Our breakfast?" Argentina asked. "It's a homeless druggie. We were doing Greece a favour."

Nepal sneered.

"Low quality meat, I would say," he said.

"We're leaving later," Chile announced. "So, we at least will be able to get some better quality. Preferably nations."

"You're going with Greece, right?" Venezuela asked.

Nepal nodded.

"Let's see if Delphi can make our oracle a little more cooperative," Nepal said. "I tried to get him to tell me about a potential future, and after a bit of _persuasion,_ he finally told me that the only thing he'd seen so far was me, having a battle to the death with India. A very plausible future, I have to say. Unfortunately, he couldn't see who wins."

"Are you sure he was speaking the truth?" Chile asked.

"He knew the cost of lying to me. And if we're lucky, our little trip will make sure that he would never be able to lie when sharing a prophesy." He glanced towards the minced meat. "You know, it's been a while since I indulged. I think I'll join you."

The others smiled when their comrade came to sit with them.

…

"So, that's what happened," Svalbard stated.

Finland nodded, taking a large gulp of his hot chocolate. He had explained everything that had happened to Svalbard, and the island was taking it rather well. They were silent for a long time, Svalbard simply staring at Finland, making the other avert his eyes.

"Lukas must have brought you here because it's the last place Denmark would look for you," Svalbard said. "And he brought you because he could see that Denmark is dangerous and has a grudge against you."

Finland nodded his head, replaying the encounter from earlier.

"…Do you have a phone I can use?" Finland asked.

…

Tunisia jumped when the door opened. It was the first time since he was first brought here that anyone came to him, and he was worried about what it could mean. He trembled in fear as the siblings approached.

"Time for the next test," the sister said.

Tunisia tried to get away, but the room was cold, and his limbs were stiff. The two grabbed him with ease, dragging him out of the room. He noticed that Libya and Eritrea were nearby, probably to help if he provided too much trouble for the siblings.

They dragged him to one of the other rooms, and they pushed him inside. The door was closed behind him, and he looked up in fear to see Nigeria standing in the centre of the room, glaring at him with anger.

Tunisia swallowed nervously, backing up as much as he could. Nigeria moved with incredible speed, grabbing Tunisia's throat with one hand. He could tell that Nigeria was hungry.

His mind flashed back to when he was attacked by Algeria, and he feared that it might be happening to him again. Nigeria growled something in a language Tunisia couldn't understand, before he threw him to another part of the room. Tunisia grunted, and Nigeria pounced on him again, digging his nails into his arms. Tunisia screamed in pain.

This continued for a while, with Nigeria throwing Tunisia around, and basically treating him like a toy. There was a lot of anger, but it didn't go further. Eventually the door opened again, and Nigeria shrank back, away from their captors, leaving Tunisia on the ground, whimpering in pain.

"He still has a small sense of reason," the sister said. "He's not ready."

Tunisia widened his eyes. _This_ was what they called a sense of reason?

Eritrea was the one to grab him, before taking him to the next cell. He shuddered when he saw Sudan, who was crouched in a feral stance.

"Please, no," Tunisia whimpered.

Sudan didn't approach him at all, instead just watching him, as though he was a frightened animal. Tunisia didn't relax, expecting that Sudan would attack at any time. He closed his eyes, expecting something to happen.

And it did, but not something that he expected. The door opened again, and Libya arrived to drag him outside.

"Ruthless and savage, he is not," Libya muttered.

Tunisia was pulled along to the next place, and he saw that this was Uganda's room. However, he immediately noticed something was wrong with him.

"You lobotomised him," he whispered.

"Yep," Libya said. "But he's starting to recover. You're here for a little demonstration."

Eritrea was following behind, and Tunisia shuddered to think about what the 'demonstration' could be. He was brought to the centre of the room, in perfect sight of Uganda, leaning against the wall and staring at him blankly.

Tunisia grunted as he was pushed to the ground, before he was pinned down by one of them. He wasn't sure which one it was. His hands were then tied behind his back.

"Now we can commence," Libya said, crouching down next to Tunisia and pulling his hair, forcing him to look Uganda in the eye.

He then screamed when he felt the blade of a knife pierce his back, and the blade was dragged downwards. Libya did this several times, going sideways and diagonally as well, and all Tunisia could do as this was continuing was try to keep his screams and tears back. He wanted to keep his eyes closed, but he didn't miss the note of interest in Uganda's eyes, and he kept watching to see the interest grow, and it made his own horror of the situation grow.

Finally, Libya moved away from him, and Eritrea kicked Tunisia onto his back, before he grabbed the knife from Libya. Tunisia whimpered in fear, and screamed when Eritrea carved a large incision in his chest. Near his heart.

"Come here," Libya ordered, and Tunisia realised that he was speaking to Uganda.

The lobotomised nation crawled closer, and Tunisia whimpered in fear, worried about what would happen to him.

"You see this throbbing thing right here?" Libya asked Uganda. "It's the heart. When you want to kill someone, you rip it out and destroy it. Take a bite out of it for good measure."

Eritrea then reached inside, but instead of the heart, he went for the left lung, cutting off a piece of it. Tunisia whimpered in pain.

"We still need this one alive," Eritrea said, handing the piece of lung to Uganda. "So, no heart now. But you can practice on that piece of flesh."

Uganda accepted the spongy substance, and Tunisia felt sick when he saw Uganda eating the lung. He closed his eyes and took a shaky breath, mindful of the injured lung.

"Please," he begged. "No more. Please."

Eritrea and Libya exchanged a look, amused smirks on their faces, before they turned to Uganda.

"When they beg you to stop, you know that you're the one in control," Libya said. "You're the one with power. Remember that."

Uganda cocked his head to the side, and Tunisia was pulled up to his feet. He swayed a bit at the blood loss, and as they dragged him out, he lost consciousness, falling into a temporary death.

This was also the first time in his life that he wished for a permanent death.

…

Morocco was tapping on the table, fixed on Tunisia. She could sense that he was afraid and in pain, and she was worried about what it might entail. She was afraid of what Requiem was doing to her brother.

She looked up when Black entered the room, looking tired.

"When are we going to rescue them?" Morocco demanded.

"It depends on when Matthew and the others are ready," Black said. "It's still _way_ too early in the morning for them. He also needs to find those willing to help. Tino is still with the Nordics, so unless he manages to slip out, he's out for the count."

Morocco sighed. They've waited too long.

"We already passed on the message to the other Africans," Black said. "They'll be arriving later. And we're leaving in an hour."

Black wrapped his arms around her, and she leaned against his shoulder.

"I can sense he's scared," she said.

"Don't worry," he said. "We'll get him back. And throw a wrench in Requiem's plans."

…

Portugal was listening to Finland's explanation, and he had a frown on his face for the duration.

"Sleepers?" he repeated. "This proves troublesome. But it shows they don't lack foresight. Iceland was not on that map of theirs. We'll need to figure out who else might be a sleeper. Tell me, are you well enough?"

"Svalbard healed me," Finland said. "Why?"

"Because we have a lead on the missing Africans. They're in Greenland. Matthew is going, and Vlad is helping. I want to know if you'd be able to join as well."

"…Greenland, huh? It might be a bit of payback for what Denmark did to me."

Portugal smiled.

"I'll tell them to fetch you, then," he said.

…

Sealand was sitting in front of the TV, Northern Ireland watching with him. The micronation was still a bit upset over England's death, and normally Wales would be babysitting him, but the older nation seemed to be a bit out of it the last two days, so North was taking care of him.

Sealand wasn't really paying attention to what was happening on the screen, his mind still a bit blank. And North didn't really care about what was on the screen either. So, when someone suddenly popped up next to Sealand, they were alarmed and wary.

The micronation blinked when he realised that someone was hugging him, trembling violently. It took him a moment longer to recognise the silver hair.

"Kugel?" Sealand questioned. "What's wrong?"

"It's… It's Austria!" Kugelmugel cried.

"What happened? Did he say something or…?"

"He… he's dead."

Northern Ireland moved closer, having heard what the Austrian micronation said.

"Did you see him?" North asked.

Kugelmugel nodded his head.

"He was on top of the piano," Kugelmugel said. "It looked like he was busy playing. There's so much blood."

"Killed while playing the piano?" Northern Ireland repeated. "That… That means that the murderer either managed to sneak up on him, or it was someone that he wouldn't mind playing the piano for. A friend."

 **Remember when I said I had one of the other Asians in mind as a cannibal, and that it would be kind of ironic? Yeah, that would be Nepal.**


	40. Chapter 39

**Thanks to AquaEclipse for reviewing.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 39**

Switzerland had his phone pressed against his ear, listening to the nation on the other end. Denmark was describing the confrontation with Finland earlier that day. He was just happy that Denmark hadn't been hurt or anything; otherwise, he knew he needed to have a little word with Finland. Preferably with a rifle aimed at Finland's head.

"And what are we going to do now?" Switzerland asked.

"He let slip something very interesting," Denmark said. "'The ends justify the means.' Makes me wonder what else they'd be willing to do to accomplish their goals."

Switzerland smirked, understanding what Denmark was implying.

"You're thinking that we can exploit it," he said.

"I'm thinking, if all of them believe that, we can convince them to join us. Or, at the very least, we can destroy their spirits."

"…You want to have fun with them, don't you?"

"Of course. Finland escaped. He deserves punishment. And asides from breaking Norway and Sweden, I don't have anything better to do."

"Really? Nothing better…?"

Denmark chuckled.

"Is it possible for you to come by?" Denmark asked. "I only recently got the two pets, and they're not properly house-broken yet. Icy also wouldn't be a good house-sitter."

"Have you let him out of it yet?" Switzerland asked.

"No, and I don't think I will. Not anytime soon. I can still use him to keep the other two in line. So, do you think you can come?"

"Sure. Liechtenstein is back at her own country, so she won't be a problem. And if she comes by and I'm not here, I can easily say my boss sent me out on business. And if she asks the humans, they'll agree because they know the alternative."

"That reminds me, I've got a special show in mind for Norway and Sweden. I'd love for you to be with me."

Switzerland smiled.

"I would love to be there with you," he said. "I'll come as soon as possible. See you soon."

Switzerland disconnected the call, before making ready for his trip to Denmark.

…

"Like, why didn't you call me sooner?!" Poland demanded into his phone. "Why did you call Miguel first instead of _me_? Do you have any idea how totally worried I was?!"

Lithuania looked up idly, before he returned to Czechia's tablet. He was reading the news, trying to see if there were any new things to worry about. It would seem that they needed to go check on Austria.

"Like, you should have called me earlier," Poland said, his voice softening. "You should have known that I'm worried about you being with an enemy. Like, it's even worse than when Russia took you."

Lithuania looked up at that again, feeling a little bubble of annoyance. Sure, being under Russia's control had proved to be a useful experience in the long run, but it hadn't been pleasant. And yet, Lithuania's old friend didn't care about it much when _Lithuania_ had been under Russia's control.

Then again, Poland and Lithuania had never been in love, and there were other factors that Poland must have been worried about.

Lithuania tuned out their conversation again, at least until Poland gave a shrill exclamation.

"Like, what do you mean?!" he demanded.

Lithuania looked back towards Poland, seeing the shorter male's face twisting in worried anger. It most probably meant that Finland had another mission. If that was the case, then Lithuania would have to deal with a worried Poland. That was worse than dealing with a bored Poland.

"I'm coming with you!" Poland insisted. "Like, I don't care! My weather might not be as cold as yours, but I can still totally handle the cold. And, like, so can Toris!"

 _That_ made Lithuania turn all his attention on Poland's conversation. He was worried about his allies, yes, but he was in no mood to be volunteered for something. And looking at Poland's face, it was something seriously dangerous.

"Like, how do you think _I_ feel?!" Poland demanded. "Like, you just admitted that it's too dangerous. And you think _I_ should back down when _you're_ going? Like, no way in hell!"

Lithuania kept watching, and he could soon see that Poland deflated. It would seem that Finland had seen his point.

Lithuania waited a while for Poland to hang up, and then he decided to ask what had been bothering him.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"Like, Denmark revealed himself to the Nordics," Poland said, coming to sit down next to Lithuania. "And he totally knew about Tino being in Alvora. Like, there was an attack and everything. And, like, it looks like Iceland's been brainwashed at some point in time. Tino said that he was totally out of it."

"But Tino managed to get out of it."

That had to be the case, otherwise, Poland wouldn't have been able to speak to Finland now.

Poland nodded his head.

"Tak," he said. "And then he told me that Miguel told him that they managed to track down the captured Africans. They're in Greenland."

Lithuania nodded his head in understanding. Of course, if something was going to happen in Greenland, then Finland and Poland would want to be involved, considering the encounter with Denmark.

"Did Denmark hurt him?" Lithuania asked.

"Nothing serious," Poland said. "Knocked his breath away, mostly. But he said something about the 'washroom', whatever that means."

Lithuania felt something niggling at the back of his mind, and he frowned.

"Why does that sound familiar?" Lithuania muttered.

"Like, you don't think it could mean something, do you?" Poland asked.

"Remember how things were in the Cold War? And even the World Wars. A lot of codenames and things. I know that Russia used a lot of codenames. What if Requiem uses them too?"

Poland seemed to understand, for his expression turned grave.

"So, like, you think it could be something serious?" Poland asked.

Lithuania nodded, trying to think of a reason why 'washroom' would prickle his instincts. And then he remembered.

He remembered when he was still working for Russia. There was one time when he was gathering everyone's dirty laundry when he arrived at Belarus's room. He had been about to knock when he heard two voices on the other side. One was Belarus, and the other was Hungary. Belarus said something along the lines of 'the washroom finally being finished', and Hungary suggesting they send their first project. He hadn't understood at the time, but now he knew that it was something to do with Requiem.

"I think I once overheard Belarus and Hungary talking about it," Lithuania said. "But I thought they were talking about the laundry room."

Poland's eyes sharpened.

"Like, we need to figure out what they're doing there," Poland said.

"We will," Lithuania said. "As soon as we figure out _where_ it is. So, what did you tell Tino about me?"

Poland idly waved his hand.

"Like, I told him that the two of us can handle the cold weather," he said. "And I'm totally going along. You can tell Clara and Samuel to get to somewhere safe, if that's what you want to do."

Lithuania was glad that he wasn't being volunteered, but he still had a choice to make. He leaned back.

"Any idea when you're leaving?" he asked.

"Like, we're waiting to hear when Matthew and Hannes are ready to go," Poland said.

Lithuania nodded his head.

"Then I'll give it some thought," he said.

…

Singapore was sitting on the bed, curled into a ball with her knees pressed against her chest. She had been killed by Philippines, and upon waking, she was in a new room, in a new place. She had to fight tears of frustration. She realised that she had _almost_ been rescued – because why else would Philippines decide to move their location? – but Philippines had been the one to emerge victorious. But that meant that Philippines had enemies. And the enemy of her enemy – or her captor, to be precise – was her friend. And she knew that she needed a friend right about now.

She knew that she couldn't bring up the subject with Philippines. It was dangerous territory, and Philippines was clearly unstable. She couldn't afford to get injured again.

Remembering when Philippines took a bite of her made her shudder in disgust. It was in that moment that she knew that Philippines was unhinged. It wasn't the cannibalism itself, but the _way_ in which it was done. At the very least, someone decent would have come up with a recipe. Even the less-than-flattering portrayals of cannibal tribes in Western media that she'd seen depicted these tribes as at least _cooking_ the people they were going to eat. Seeing Philippines do it like that… It just wasn't _right._

And Singapore didn't want to think about what would happen when someone as twisted as that got truly angry at her.

If they had found her once, then there was a chance that they would find her again. She just had to wait patiently. And she would have to hold out until then.

She jumped when the door opened, and Philippines sauntered in. She smiled when she saw that Singapore was awake.

"Aminah!" she exclaimed happily. "You're awake! Are you hungry? You must be. What do you want to eat?"

Singapore blinked in surprise. She was given a choice in the matter? And what time of day was it?

Philippines waited patiently, and Singapore swallowed nervously.

"Beef kway teow," she muttered.

It was a relatively easy dish to prepare, and it wouldn't be too heavy on her stomach.

Philippines silently repeated the words, before she smiled.

"Alright," she said. "But then you have to do something for me in return."

Singapore felt her stomach drop. What could this psychopath have in mind? She moved closer, before grabbing Singapore's chin.

"You need to kiss me," Philippines said.

Singapore felt herself pale. The idea of kissing Philippines made her nauseous. But she knew that she needed to keep her sadistic kidnapper happy. So she took a deep breath and leaned closer. It was just a quick peck, but Singapore had to keep herself from twisting her face in disgust.

"…You're kidding, right?" Philippines asked. "Looks like I'll have to teach you."

Still holding onto her chin, Philippines grabbed the hair at the back of Singapore's head. Singapore had no way to escape as Philippines crashed their lips together. And when Philippines ran her tongue along Singapore's lips, she wanted to deny the other entrance, but a quick reminder of her position caused her to timidly open her mouth. Still, she wanted to gag at the other's tongue in her mouth.

It seemed like an eternity before Philippines pulled away, her face flushed and a disturbing, happily satisfied smile on her lips.

"See?" Philippines asked. "Next time I ask you to kiss me, it has to be something like that. And I'll let the lack of response slide this time – you're still inexperienced, after all – but next time I want our tongues to dance together. Understand?"

Singapore shakily nodded her head, and Philippines ruffled her hair, before releasing her head and going back to the door. As soon as she left the room, Singapore pulled at her own hair. She didn't know if she would be able to handle it. How could she cooperate with demands like those?

…

Botswana yawned, before looking up at Black and White, who were discussing something at the head of the table. They had called down everyone in order to make travel arrangements. Botswana had just finished with his task of finding Tibet, and he'd only returned about five minutes ago. He understood why it was so important to go as soon as possible, but he would have preferred to have some more time to rest.

"Alright," Black said, clapping his hands together. "Looks like everyone is here. Well, everyone that can leave immediately."

He was thinking about East Timor, Botswana knew, and the fact that the Asian had _still_ not woken up.

"So, we'd be going to Meiringspoort," Black continued. "Since Anika is the one that actually knows where we're going, she's driving."

"YES!" Namibia cheered, pumping her fists in the air.

Botswana could also feel himself smiling in relief. Black looked a bit confused.

"I don't see why you should celebrate like that," Black said.

Several of the nations looked a bit awkward. Namibia was the first to look Black in the eye.

"No offence, Themba," Namibia said, "but I value my life too much to get in a car with you behind the wheel."

Black looked a bit offended, but some of the other nations nodded along.

"Especially if it's behind the wheel of a minibus," Zimbabwe said.

"Face it, Themba," Botswana said, "you're not a good driver."

"Oh, come on!" Black whined. "I've _never_ been in an accident in my life!"

"That doesn't change the fact that you make near-immortals fear for _their_ lives!" Namibia said.

"Sorry, cheri," Morocco said, "but I have to agree with them. Your driving skills need some work."

"But… Anika's driving the minibus too!" Black whined.

"But _she_ actually follows the traffic laws," Zimbabwe said.

Botswana couldn't help but chuckle, before he looked over to the door. His eyes widened at the sight.

"East Timor's awake," he announced.

Everyone silenced and turned to the entrance. Timor, along with Cape Verde and Indonesia, were standing there. East Timor smiled.

"How are you feeling?" White asked, walking closer.

"Better," Timor said. "Obviously. It's still a bit painful, to be honest. Those bullets are brutal."

Indonesia nodded, massaging his wrist.

"What are you guys going to do now?" Brazil asked.

"We'll be going back to Malaysia," Indonesia said. "And then we'll see if we can find Singapore again. In the meantime, we can start with giving Philippines a bit of trouble."

"If you want, I can send Adamastor and the Flying Dutchman along," White said. "Since Philippines is an island nation, they _should_ be able to help."

"Having nature and the supernatural on our side should be a great asset," Cape Verde said. "I'll be coming along, and the others agree as well."

"And I'm helping Matthew and the others on their mission to Greenland," Romania said. "On that note, do you mind if I make another trip to the gem room?"

Netherlands raised an eyebrow, but didn't ask anything. White narrowed her eyes.

"What exactly do you need?" she asked.

"I'd prefer to make protective charms for everyone," Romania said. "And we need to break the chains."

Botswana was confused by the word choice, but the original Alvora nations seemed to understand what Romania meant. White nodded in understanding.

"What would you need for the charms?" she asked.

"Stones and metals would be best," Romania said.

"Wouldn't it be better to use something from each individual nation?" Equatorial Guinea asked.

Botswana nodded his head, understanding that much.

"The problem is, we need them purified," Romania said. "For that, we'd need a full moon. We don't have that time. The gems here are already purified – thank you for that, by the way. It'll be easier to make the charms with the materials here before infusing them with each of our auras."

"Alright," White said. "You're the expert. How much would you need?"

"A small bag would be enough for now," Romania said. "I have the charms in mind, and I'll let you know what I need when I need them."

"Okay."

"Sorry," Netherlands said, cocking his head to the side, "what is this about a gem room?"

"Let's just say, if you knew about it, you wouldn't have given her to England," Black said, throwing an annoyed look towards the European.

Botswana was a bit surprised by how hostile Black appeared. The two South Africas would usually avoid discussions about their colonial period, but the fact that Black appeared snappy about something in _White's_ history was also something that Botswana had never seen before. They would ignore the things in the others' histories, and they would argue about their shared histories. This was yet another side that Botswana had never seen before, and it was probably related to Alvora.

Netherlands also seemed surprised by the sudden passive-aggressive attack, and leaned back a bit.

"…Moving on," Brazil said, looking uncomfortable, "we need to go soon. We know about everyone who's going along, and the others have their own arrangements."

"We'll give you ten more minutes, and then everyone has to be at the garage," White said.

…

Åland made his way to Canada's room, knocking on the door. The other emerged soon after, a smile soon on his face.

"Hey Hannes," Canada greeted. "You ready to go?"

"Yeah," Åland said. "Olivier is on his way here now."

Normally, the nations of Alvora wouldn't involve the smaller members, but since it was in Greenland, Åland and Quebec were among the only members of Alvora that could handle it, unless Canada called in more of his provinces. The ones further north would especially be well-suited to this task.

Åland also wanted to personally participate. Finland had been attacked, and although he wasn't too injured – a bit winded, mostly, but otherwise fine – Åland wanted to be there to help his brother. There was also the fact that he and Greenland were friends, or he thought they were. Was she an active part of Requiem, or was she used? And what about Faroe?

Åland wanted to find the answers to these questions.

…

France made his way to the door, the annoying sound of the doorbell demanding attention. Everyone was still preparing to leave, with China intent on looking into the Tibet situation. It was perhaps heartless of them to suggest that he needed to leave in order to avoid a trap, but none of them wanted China to fall to Requiem.

When the door was opened, France was surprised to see that it was a fellow nation on the other side. One that he would _not_ have expected.

"Mongolia?" he asked.

 **Black's driving 'skills' are a reference to the minibus taxis. One of the jokes in South Africa is that there are two sets of road rules: one for taxi drivers, and one for everyone else. Honestly, I've seen more than one instance when they would drive over an intersection, and as soon as they reach the other side, they would stop so that the passengers could get on or off. And when I say 'reach the other side', I mean as soon as the front of the minibus reaches the curb on the other side. And then there are the ones that stop in the middle of the road. If you're lucky, one of them would at least have the decency to pull onto the sidewalk. And that's not even in the city. Let's just say, it's pretty risky being around them.**

 **Also, if you hadn't seen it yet, I posted a new story called 'Hidden Truths'. I didn't say anything about it because I wanted to have a story that would be a surprise (and the bunny that had only been nibbling took a vicious bite** _ **after**_ **the poll was completed). Go check it out, but be warned:** _ **I**_ **have cried a few times while writing it, and I don't cry easily when it comes to stories.**


	41. Chapter 40

**Thanks to AquaEclipse for reviewing.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 40**

Mongolia smiled as France opened the door.

"Sorry for the unexpected intrusion," he said. "But… there is something important I want to discuss with you."

France pursed his lips, before he nodded his head. He gestured for the Asian to enter, and Mongolia did so.

"Is this a private discussion?" France asked.

"There are others here?" Mongolia asked, blinking in surprise.

As though on cue, he could hear heavy footsteps approaching. His eyes widened, recognising that gait. Sure enough, Russia soon came into view.

The Russian paused when he saw Mongolia, and there was a hint of dislike in his eyes. Mongolia understood. He had not been the best caretaker in the world.

"This is a surprise," Russia said coldly. "What are you doing here?"

"Hello Russia," Mongolia greeted, doing his best not to sound nervous. He then turned to France. "Could you perhaps call everyone together? This is pretty important, and I would like everyone to know about it."

France arched an eyebrow, before he nodded. He then exited the room, and Mongolia soon heard him calling everyone to the living room. Russia folded his arms, still watching him.

"What are you planning?" he asked.

"Believe me, I'm here with the purest of intentions," Mongolia said, raising his hands placatingly.

This was exactly why he hadn't wanted to speak to Russia about this: He knew that Russia would _not_ be happy to see him, but the news he had was too important to simply leave.

There was a specific reason why Mongolia wanted everyone together, asides from sharing information. He wanted to know whether or not anyone from either group was there. If that was the case, then he knew that he would need to be careful about what he said. He would also need to decide whether or not to out them as traitors. That last one carried a huge risk.

He followed Russia into the living room, and he couldn't help but look at all of the nations present. His eyes fell on one in particular, and he tensed.

Prussia.

He knew that Prussia was part of the second group, and he wondered how much they knew about Requiem. If they hadn't known about them yet, then this would be a good opportunity to inform them. Hopefully they would keep each other busy while the rest of the world could make plans.

"Take a seat," France said, indicating a chair he'd brought in.

Mongolia did so, and he looked around the room. He noticed that everyone was suspicious or wary, except for Prussia. He was curious, but he didn't seem as though he viewed him as a potential enemy. Again, Mongolia couldn't help but wonder how much they knew.

"Right," Mongolia said, suddenly nervous. "I know I should have revealed this a long time ago, but… You see, there are nations operating in the shadows."

"You mean Requiem?" China asked, arms crossed.

Mongolia blinked in surprise.

"You already know about them?" he asked.

"We know about the group, and we know the identities of a few members," Spain said. "We also know they're responsible for the deaths of America, England, Germany and Japan."

Mongolia's eyes widened.

"…Oh, so you know about them," he said. "That was actually part of the reason why I came."

Prussia cocked his head.

"How did _you_ know about them?" he asked.

Mongolia looked at Prussia, choosing his words carefully. He then sighed.

"…I'm very observant," Mongolia said. "I noticed a few… things. It took a few centuries for me to learn what was going on. But… Requiem isn't alone. There's another group as well."

"What?" several of the nations asked, but Mongolia had his eyes focused on Prussia. The European had widened his eyes, and the look that crossed his face now became guarded.

"What do you mean, there's another group?" Ukraine asked.

"Exactly what I said," Mongolia said. "I unfortunately don't know their name. But, I do know the identities of the members. Of _both_ groups."

"Identities?" China repeated. "…First, tell me something: Who would most likely be able to get to Tibet?"

"Nepal," Mongolia said. "He's a part of Requiem. He's also the only person that Tibet would trust with his location. And then there's South Korea as well."

"South Korea?" Taiwan repeated. "But… No. This sounds like something that _North_ would do, not _South_."

"Actually, North Korea is part of the other group. It's a bit ironic, to be honest."

"Regarding that second group," Russia said, narrowing his eyes, "what are _they_ guilty of?"

Mongolia glanced towards Prussia, knowing that he would have to tread carefully.

"In the first place, they've separated themselves from their land and people," Mongolia said. "Requiem does it too, but Requiem would at least control their human populations. This other group almost completely discarded their humans. They have a few humans that work for them, but they abandoned their original role as nations. Both groups also have a strong reserve of resources, which includes economic wealth and weapons. The South Africas said that they destroyed their nuclear weapons. They lied."

"South Africa?" China repeated. "Is one of them involved?"

" _Both_ are. They're part of the second group. And on that note… Apartheid was a deliberate plan, and both of them were involved in its creation, and everything that happened in it. _That_ is the type of thing they would do. The Angolan Civil War was also their doing."

"They interfered in Angola?" Spain asked.

"…Oh, sorry, I misspoke. Angola is also a part of the second group, along with Mozambique. Actually, it would be easier to say that all of the Portuguese territories are."

Spain widened his eyes.

"They… Did they go behind my brother's back?" he asked.

Mongolia understood that Spain must have found out that some of his former territories were part of Requiem. He gave the Iberian nation a look of sympathy.

"…I'm sorry to tell you this," Mongolia said. "But… Not only is Portugal involved with the second group, but… he's the leader."

Spain seemed to pale a little, before he started shaking his head. He kept muttering something, but Mongolia was too far away to hear, and he suspected that it wouldn't be in a language that he knew.

"Who else do you know of?" Prussia asked.

Mongolia met his eye, and the message was clear. Prussia narrowed his eyes, a clear warning. Mongolia knew that it would not be a good idea to reveal Prussia to the group at large. Besides, it already looked as though Spain was dealing with the feeling of betrayal. He didn't want to make it worse than it currently was.

"You said that everyone that was part of Portugal's territory is a member," China said. "Does that include Macau?"

Mongolia was glad for the distraction, and nodded his head. China bit his lip, clenching his fist.

"…He said something about going with Portugal because, apparently, one of Portugal's other former colonies was missing."

"There's a possibility that it was the truth," Mongolia said. "One thing I'll say about them: they're extremely loyal to each other. If someone went missing, then they would do anything to get them back."

"Loyal?" Spain scoffed. "According to you, my brother lied to me. Just like my former colonies. Don't tell me that Romano is also part of all this?"

Mongolia winced.

"North and South Italy are the leaders of Requiem," Mongolia said.

Spain looked enraged, and France placed a calming hand on the other's shoulder.

"Tell me something," Russia said, turning cold eyes to Mongolia, "is anyone _I_ should know of a member of either group?"

Mongolia nodded.

"Belarus, Bulgaria, Hungary and Slovenia are members of Requiem," Mongolia said. "And Lithuania, Romania, Serbia and Poland are members of the other group."

Mongolia looked towards Prussia again, who managed to keep his face blank, but he could clearly see the rage in his eyes. No matter what he said now, he knew that Prussia would most likely have a little _word_ with him later.

"How do we know that what you're saying is true?" China asked.

"I don't have any proof," Mongolia admitted. "I just thought that I should warn you."

"…Make a list," France said. "Two columns. One for Requiem, one for the other group. We'll see what we can do about them."

"We'll need to make plans," Russia said. "And we need to find out more about this second group."

"Oh, I'm going to have a little word with my brother," Spain said darkly. "And then I need to have a word with Romano as well."

"That would be an insanely stupid idea," Prussia snapped. "You _just_ heard that Romano is one of the leaders of the group that experimented on regions, killed nations and even committed _cannibalism_. How do you think that conversation is going to go?"

Spain flinched, before turning his attention to Mongolia.

"Portugal's group…" he started, "have they… have they done something like this before?"

"I don't know much about their activities or habits," Mongolia admitted. "But I highly doubt they would indulge in cannibalism."

"You're right," China said. "I've seen Brazil's reaction to the topic of cannibalism. I think… I think he has personal experience with it."

"If… If Portugal didn't lie," Spain said, "then Brazil _did_ have a bad encounter. A previous caretaker, or someone that should have been a caretaker. A tribe. It was a ritual or something, but he also didn't seem happy about Brazil's very existence. He saw him as a symbol of his world changing, and didn't want to accept it. Portugal saved him from death."

"He told you this?" Russia asked.

Spain nodded his head.

"Like you said," Estonia said, "if he didn't lie…"

"Looks like we need to wait a bit before we go anywhere," France said, glancing towards Spain. "We need to think about what we need to do now. But first, the lists."

…

"So, Themba isn't coming with us?" Zimbabwe asked.

"He needs to visit someone," White said, checking all the mirrors.

"And… in which car is he doing it?" Namibia asked. "And I thought he doesn't know where _exactly_ we're going."

"A nation can travel to anywhere in their country with a thought. And he'll be able to find our location easily."

There was silence for a moment.

"If that's the case," Botswana said, "then why don't we do _that_ to get to our destination?"

"Are you _joking_?" White asked incredulously. "Something like this is draining when you have passengers. How many of you are there? Even if Themba and I split you up, there's a good chance we'll pass out as soon as we reach our destination."

"She's right," Mozambique said. "To make this worse, it can only be done with a nation when they're in their own country, and _only_ in their country. So, even though the rest of us know the technique, we can't use it to travel somewhere in South Africa. We're also out of luck if we want to go to our own countries."

"And… Black and Morocco are doing _what_ , exactly?" Netherlands asked.

"He needs to see someone, and she's going with him," White sighed.

"Why Morocco in particular?" Belgium asked.

"They're together," Zimbabwe said.

"What?!"

…

Mongolia had been given a room, and he idly looked around. He hadn't anticipated that they would have already known about Requiem, but at least he was able to warn them about the other group.

It was just unfortunate that Prussia was there.

He gripped the pen and paper he had been given, and went to the desk to start writing. Just before he sat down, he felt a murderous presence behind him, and he whipped himself around to see Prussia, before the other grabbed him by his throat.

"How do you _really_ know about us?" Prussia hissed.

"I wasn't lying," Mongolia said. "I just… noticed."

Prussia pinned him against the wall, and Mongolia winced a bit.

"Thanks to you, and the way you said it, you just messed things up for all my friends," Prussia spat. "Antonio thinks that Miguel betrayed him, and Toris could be in a lot of trouble… If your stupidity does anything to harm Toris…"

Mongolia's stomach dropped when he realised what he'd done. He knew that they were fiercely loyal to each other, but when it came to their lovers, they were not only loyal, but protective. Mongolia realised that Prussia was angry at him for revealing his lover's identity to a nation that had given Lithuania a hard time in the past. And might again in the future.

"How did you learn about Requiem?" Mongolia asked.

"I don't have to tell you," Prussia said. "But understand that if you cause one of my friends to be hurt, I _will_ destroy you. It would be a necessary evil, but the ends justify the means."

Mongolia shuddered when he heard those words. It was that mindset that made him realise that this other group was potentially dangerous. He'd seen in the past what they were willing to do to achieve their goals. They even broke the most sacred law of nations.

Their people always came first.

"You saw how Spain reacted when he heard about his brother," Prussia said. "You wouldn't want to let him and Fran feel even _more_ betrayed when they see my name. Especially since you explained so poorly. They think we're the same as Requiem now. We were _trying_ to avoid that scenario."

Mongolia winced, but he nodded his head. He knew that he was being told not to include Prussia's name on the list. And he didn't want to know what Prussia _would_ be willing to do in retaliation.

They weren't as bad as Requiem, but they also weren't completely safe.

…

"We _really_ need to help them out," Morocco said, looking around.

"We've tried before," Black said. "Umkhulu doesn't want our help."

They were staring at the people around them, who were still living as they had done for thousands of years. But they weren't looking for one of the humans. They were looking for the one to represent them.

Black smiled when he saw the man. It was an elderly man of around sixty, but his eyes spoke of a wisdom that transcended that age. He was approaching them, walking with a grace that belied his age, both physical and true.

"It's good to see you two again," Khoisan said, looking between the two. "And together as well. So, what's been happening in the world?"

"We'll tell you now," Black said. "But it's a bit of a long story."

Khoisan nodded, before leading them to his hut. He quickly set to work brewing them some tea, but while they were waiting, he turned to them.

"I fear that this is more than a social visit," Khoisan said.

"You're right," Black said.

He proceeded to explain everything that's happened since they learned of Requiem. Once he was finished, Khoisan was still silent in thought.

"Killing nations?" he repeated. "I knew that there were ways, but this is the first time I heard of it actually done."

"We mostly came to hear about Themba's magic," Morocco explained. "We need all the help we can get."

Khoisan nodded. As an oracle, he'd given them many clues in the past. But even he hadn't foreseen Requiem.

Khoisan was the one that brought White to Portugal. He was also the one that ultimately helped Black and White work out their issues, because the two had genuinely been unable to get along, though that was mostly Black's fault. Well, he felt guilty afterwards. And once White told him about Alvora, he could see the two of them working together towards a better future.

"Your magic is an interesting one," Khoisan said. "You just need to remain focused on your task. You have the power to connect with the minds of others, even across a great distance. The better you know this person, the easier it is to connect."

Black's eyes widened.

"Why haven't I been able to manifest it before?" he asked.

"You never tried, did you?" Khoisan responded.

"What exactly does it mean to connect with someone's mind?" Morocco asked.

"It means he can tell what the other person is thinking," Khoisan explained. "He also has access to the other person's senses. He can see what the other person sees. Hear what they hear. Taste what they taste. Feel what they feel – physically and emotionally. Smell what they smell. You have full access."

"So… it can be used to find people?" Black asked.

"Find them. Whisper thoughts in their minds."

Black's eyes widened a bit, before he sighed.

"What do I have to do?" Black asked.

"I suggest doing this when you can relax," Khoisan said. "Have you ever tried self-hypnosis? It's the same basic principle. Then I want you to focus on the person – you already know how to do that with a human. But you need to focus on a nation, since they're the ones you want to connect with, if I'm not mistaken. You should focus on the country, and you should focus on the person. Use everything you know about them. I don't know how long it might take, but you would eventually be able to connect with them. I'm surprised that you haven't been able to connect with _her_ before."

Black blushed a bit. Actually, now that he thought about it, he recalled that there were times when he was thinking of Morocco, and then he started to imagine what she was doing. So… it _wasn't_ his imagination.

"Can it be detected?" Black asked.

"I highly doubt it," Khoisan said.

…

Finland headed outside, Svalbard going with him. He'd managed to convince the island that they should help Norway by fighting against Requiem, in any way possible.

And rescuing hostages was one way.

Finland could see a number of figures appearing in front of them. Romania, Åland, Canada, Lithuania and Poland. It has begun.

Requiem was a threat to the future that Alvora intended. And they would be stopped, by whatever means necessary.

 **There was a comment about it turning into good vs evil. Not quite the case. Alvora is a bit more subtle than Requiem, and they have good intentions, but they would be willing to do whatever it takes to achieve their goals. That's also one of the subtle pieces of foreshadowing I've left: How many times does an Alvora nation say 'the ends justify the means'?**

' **Umkhulu' is Zulu for grandpa. White would call Khoisan 'oupa'.**

 **The part about it being Black's fault is a reference to the circumstances surrounding Blood River.**


	42. Chapter 41

**Thanks to AquaEclipse, Eternal Nexus Warrior and an anon for reviewing.**

 **Regarding the G20… England, Germany, Japan and America are dead; Argentina, Italy, Mexico and South Korea are members of Requiem; Brazil, Canada, India, Indonesia and South Africa are members of Alvora; and the rest are only now figuring out what's happening. So… The odds of the G20 being involved are slim. France's group might approach those that haven't been listed as Alvora or Requiem, but that's about as far as G20 involvement would go. And the only ones still in the dark are Australia, Saudi Arabia and Turkey.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 41**

Romania shivered the moment they arrived in Greenland. Okay, Svalbard was colder, but that didn't change the fact that they were in a cold, remote area. Thankfully, it was only autumn, so the worst of the cold hadn't arrived yet.

"If you don't mind, I'll go look for a nice little place where I can hole up," Romania said.

Even though the years with Russia had given him a bit of a tolerance, it had been a while since he'd been there. Plus, the cold wasn't good for his magic.

The others nodded in understanding.

"We'll scout the old-fashioned way," Canada said. "Take care of yourself, Vlad."

Romania nodded, before he walked off. If they needed his help, they had a way to contact him. He felt the bracelet around his wrist, and knew that each of the others had one as well.

…

Brazil checked his phone, before glancing towards White.

"Imane says that they're finished," he said. "They'll meet us for lunch."

White nodded her head, looking around.

"We can still last an hour," she said, before looking down. "And so can the petrol."

"So, an hour?" Brazil asked.

"Ja. Tell them that they can get ready in an hour."

…

"Are you ready?" India asked, looking towards Bangladesh and Myanmar.

They nodded their heads, a determined look on each of their faces. They received news of Tibet's location, and they were hoping for it to be a step closer to saving Bhutan. They had been reassured that Bhutan's prophetic abilities would keep him alive, and they were relying on that.

They were also worried about Tibet, and wanted to get to him as soon as possible. From what they'd heard, it was clear that Tibet was being tortured.

India was frustrated that Requiem was going after nations that he cared about. They were his friends, and though they weren't as close as his fellow Alvora nations, they still had a special place in his heart.

He wouldn't allow those cobras to corrupt any of his friends.

He would find out what happened to Bhutan, and he would make sure that Nepal _paid_ for his betrayal, and any harm that might have occurred to Bhutan.

…

Greece shook his head, before he glanced towards Nepal, Albania and Bhutan. It was easy for a nation to go from one point in their country to another, once one knew that it was possible. The only complication arose when they had other nations present.

The more nations they took along, the more exhausting it became. Three nations were fine; he was just a bit disoriented. If he was forced to transport everyone currently at his house…

 _That_ would have been hell.

"Come on," Greece said. "This way."

It was quiet. He forced his humans to stay out of it. The weather was still a bit overcast, but it almost seemed as though the storm that had plagued the Mediterranean was moving along. He was grateful for that. This storm didn't feel natural at all.

He wondered if Alvora had the power to create storms. If so, then it could really be a nuisance in the future. But who could have…?

He recalled that South Africa used to be called the 'Cape of Storms'. They couldn't be connected, could they?

No. There was no way that either of the South Africas would be able to influence the weather in the Mediterranean, right?

Well, if they were lucky, then Bhutan would be able to tell them soon.

Greece led the two Asians and Albania to the old altar of the Oracle of Delphi. He knew that it was filled with natural gasses, and that it had the power to awaken one's natural prophetic abilities. The humans had dismissed it as superstition, but Greece knew better.

Greece then grabbed Bhutan, pushing him against the altar. Bhutan gasped, before his body tensed. Greece used all his focus to bring the gasses to the surface.

The three Requiem nations smirked when they started to see results.

…

Laos breathed heavily, resurfacing from his trance. He had been worried since Bangladesh's call, and had been trying to learn more about what was going on. It wasn't particularly easy.

It was as though too much was happening at the same time. And even when he tried to focus on someone or something, namely Bhutan, it would be as though something was interfering.

"Still nothing?" Cambodia asked.

The others were also nearby. Laos had informed them of the call from Bangladesh, and his repeated efforts to try and use his powers to learn about what was happening. No success. By now the rest, including Vietnam, were worried about what was going on.

"None of them are answering their phones," Thailand announced.

"This is crazy," Vietnam said. "You don't think anything happened to them, do you?"

"Did you have _any_ success at all?" Cambodia asked. "Even just a tiny thing?"

Laos turned his annoyed gaze in Cambodia's direction, before he sighed.

"When I focus on Bangladesh and Myanmar, I get the general feeling of fear and confusion," Laos said. "Nepal… is happy. And Bhutan…" He shuddered. "Whenever I focus on Bhutan, I get the image of him being wrapped in the coils of a snake. He's terrified, and in danger. But _what_ the danger could be, I've no idea. And I can't find anything else."

Vietnam frowned.

"Why would Nepal be happy?" she asked.

Cambodia shrugged. Thailand's eyes widened.

"You said that there's a general sense of betrayal in your visions," Thailand said. "You don't think… _Nepal_ could have betrayed them?"

Laos felt cold. Now that Thailand mentioned it, it would be possible. That would explain why Nepal was happy, while the others were afraid. But Bhutan was the one that was in danger.

"Gui, do you think you can try again?" Thailand asked.

Laos bit his lip. To be honest, the frequent meditations were wearing on him, ironic as it might seem. He rarely used meditation to get visions, due to the ones he received in his sleep being more reliable. However, he knew that he needed to find the others, and meditation was the best way for him to focus.

"I can try," he said softly. "I'm just getting a little worn out."

"Don't push yourself," Vietnam advised. "Would you like some tea?"

"That sounds like it could help."

…

Canada and the others gathered together again, after having split up to do some reconnaissance, leaving Svalbard behind at the meeting point. Svalbard had been keeping an eye on the front of the building, so he didn't entirely feel as though he was being neglected.

"So, any news to share?" Canada asked, looking around the group.

"There are a number of cameras around the entrance," Svalbard said. "But they only seem to be monitoring the entrance and the airfield."

They had known that they were in the right place when they saw the small airfield right next to this base.

"There are no windows," Åland listed. "And there doesn't seem to be any other entrance, other than the main entrance."

Canada bit his lip, looking back at the base. They had kept out of the range of the cameras, and it had taken them a while to survey the building. The fact that there was only one entrance made him concerned. It meant that there was no way to enter without using the main entrance, and without alerting their enemies via camera.

"So, any ideas on how we could go in undetected?" Finland asked. "Vlad's reserving his magic for an emergency, so he's out."

"I could help," Svalbard offered. "I can make it that we're invisible to the technology. Of course, if we run into one of them, we'll immediately be noticed."

"Like, in that case, we just need to make sure that we don't run into any of them," Poland said.

"But when is anything ever so easy?" Lithuania muttered.

Canada wanted to agree. As he shifted his weight, he winced, the wound inflicted by Mexico still painful. It should have been completely healed by now, especially since Romania helped the process with magic. So, could it be something to do with the bullets used?

His thoughts couldn't help but wander to Serbia, still unconscious in his bedroom. He had wanted to stay until he recovered, but that would be impossible at the moment. He knew that he was one of the few Alvora nations that could handle the cold, and considering the possibility that Requiem had a lot of prisoners gathered there…

There was enough time for Slovenia to have come here with Bosnia, and for Nepal to have brought Bhutan. Even though he knew Botswana's report only mentioned African prisoners, there were several hours between the time when he'd come and when they arrived. Enough time.

Canada knew that Serbia would be upset about the loss of Bosnia, and he wanted to make things better. So he would save his lover's brother-figure. Especially since he was _already_ upset about two betrayals.

Kosovo was keeping an eye on Serbia, and he knew that the other Balkan nations would also watch over him. Canada knew that his lover was in good hands, otherwise, he wouldn't have come at all.

He needed to repay Requiem for injuring his lover.

"Svalbard, could you cast that spell?" Canada asked. "The cameras are our first priority. And based on the size of the place, they're not going to be hanging around the entrance."

"And what do we do once we're inside?" Lithuania asked.

Canada bit his lip, before looking towards the facility again.

"We may need to split up," he said. "We'll be less noticeable if we do so."

"Same groups as last time?" Finland asked.

Canada nodded, before glancing towards Svalbard.

"You're not really a part of this," he said. "If you want, you can stay behind."

Svalbard shook his head.

"I became involved the moment they took my brother," he said. "I'm going in too."

Canada nodded, before he turned back to Finland.

"Could you keep an eye on him?" he asked.

Finland nodded, and they turned their attentions back to the facility.

…

France lightly knocked on the door, before he entered. Spain was standing at the window, his shoulders tensed. France gently approached, giving his friend the opportunity to chase him away, if that was what he desired. Once he reached him, he reached out his hand and placed it gently on Spain's shoulder.

"Are you alright?" France asked.

For a long moment, Spain was silent. France waited patiently. Finally, Spain sighed, most of his tension leaving his body.

"Francis, please promise me that you haven't betrayed me too," Spain said.

"Antonio, of course I haven't," France said. "Have you spoken to your brother yet?"

Spain shook his head.

"I'm almost too afraid to," he said. "I don't know if he'll tell me the truth, or lie to me again. I… I don't know what to do."

France sighed, before he pulled Spain into a hug. The other thankfully hugged him back, tucking his head on France's shoulder.

"I'm also afraid," France admitted. "I had a lot of colonies myself. And I heard that Canada is part of the second group. But who else?"

Spain sighed.

"Do you know how far Mongolia is with that list?" he asked.

"I asked him to come find me as soon as he's finished," France said.

"And… what do you suggest we do then?"

France bit his lip.

"I'm not sure," he admitted. "We still need to know what the motives of Miguel's group are."

Spain was silent for a moment.

"So… I _need_ to call him," he said, resigned.

"…I'll be right here," France whispered.

…

Portugal was sitting in Romania's study, examining all of the documents they'd gathered from Requiem. Translating was proving to be… extremely exhausting, especially since it combined a dead language and a _dialect_ of a dead language, written backwards, with Italian. Well, it was certainly distracting.

Moldova was teaching their two newest members about all of the perks, so they were occupied. He'd also been told that Czechia and Slovakia would be arriving soon, in order to get away from what could possibly a vulnerable position. And then… they would have to relocate again.

Portugal glanced to the wall, where a map of Romania was hanging. He knew that Romania had a castle hidden in the Carpathians, and he was anxiously waiting for his love to return, so that they could go to the hidden castle. It was well-fortified, and well-supplied. Not to mention, well-guarded.

He was startled out of his thoughts when his phone started to ring. He picked it up, seeing the familiar name and number. To be honest, he had been dreading this call. Taking a deep breath, he answered.

"Olá, irmão," Portugal greeted. "Don't tell me that you already miss me."

"I'm not in the mood for games!" Spain snapped. "Tell me… you've been plotting under my nose, with a bunch of other nations. Don't lie."

Portugal closed his eyes.

"Sim," he said. "But I assure you, we're nothing like Requiem."

"How can I trust you?" Spain asked.

"Because our goal is to rewrite the rules that govern nations. We want to make it so that we no longer have to be forced into a war with our friends or families. We also don't want to get a cold because the humans can't handle their money. And we especially don't want to have anyone die because the humans failed at government."

Spain was silent for a moment.

"Why didn't you ever tell me about any of this?" he asked.

"I _did_ ," Portugal said. "I told you about my ideals many times. But that was all they were to you – ideals. You never took me seriously. And… when I saw what you were like during the Inquisition, I felt that you wouldn't be able to handle the organisation well."

There was a hitch of breath on the other end. Apparently, Spain could remember those conversations.

"…Why?" Spain asked. "Why did you tell me? Were you trying to recruit me or something?"

"Sim, actually," Portugal said. "Though, it would have remained your choice. There are a few other nations that knew of our activities who remained on the outside. Though, with the exception of Sri Lanka, all of them have joined us now."

"How did you manage that?"

"Requiem. Once we found out about them…"

"How? How did you find out about them?"

"Because one of Requiem's members – Mexico – attacked one of ours. Canada. She was fond of him, and after injuring him, told him enough to set us on our guard. They developed bullets that can be used to kill nations."

"…How long have you known about Italy and Romano being involved?"

"Since we went to one of their houses. I found files from Requiem. Notes about the nations. Their observations – and the fates they have in store for everyone. Antonio… You need to be _very_ careful."

Spain was silent again.

"I've been marked for death by them, haven't I?" Spain asked.

"Unfortunately," Portugal said. "And based on what I've seen in their notes… They're not going to resort to a bullet to the head. They're planning on making you suffer."

"Well… I'm no stranger to torture, hermano. You should know that."

"Antonio… they know about your feelings for Francis. I'm afraid they're going to exploit that."

"What? How… There isn't…"

"Irmão, anyone with eyes can see that you and France are in love with each other, so for the love of all that is holy, _don't deny it_."

Spain sputtered for a moment, and despite the nature of their conversation, Portugal smiled.

"Well… I'm not going to listen to someone who doesn't have anyone for themselves," Spain sputtered, and Portugal could just imagine how red his face was at that moment.

"Antonio, I've been in a happy relationship with Romania for the last four hundred years," Portugal remarked.

"Wha…? Anything _else_ you'd like to tell me?"

"Not Catholic. Haven't ever been. And the Inquisition permanently turned me away from religion."

"Well… All things considered, that isn't so unforgivable. But… How could you turn your back on your own people?"

"Why don't you tell me first how fun that civil war was?" Portugal countered.

"…Speaking of which, I heard that Angola's civil war was deliberate."

"It was an experiment to see how much we could manipulate our people."

"And Apartheid?"

"Same thing, with the added purpose of keeping Black alive."

"What?"

"He was fading, so they split in order to give him enough independence to stand on his own."

"And why couldn't they have simply split their land?"

"Because by then, they no longer worked like that."

"…What's your group's name?"

"Alvora."

"That's a strange name."

"I combined 'alvorecer' with 'aurora'."

"I see. You're planning to bring a new dawn. We… we heard that you would resort to any means to accomplish your goals."

Portugal sighed.

"The ends justify the means," he said. "But for now, the only plan is to stop Requiem."

"And how are you going to do that?" Spain asked.

Portugal didn't answer. He was still thinking things through.

"…Hermano, tell me something," Spain said. "That story you told me about Brazil – you know, when he decided to go with you – was that the truth?"

"Sim," Portugal said. "Tupi tried to get rid of him while simultaneously gathering the power he'd gotten up to that point. Cannibalism is, unfortunately, how he planned to do it. I found them, stopped Tupi, and took Roberto away."

"…Are all of your former colonies involved?"

"Sim. And I don't want to be mean, but trying to be a papa or a brother was a better choice than trying to be a boss. That's what all of the members of Requiem with a grudge against you hated the most."

"And… What does that mean for the Portuguese Empire? I thought they were all independent?"

"The humans are. The nations _chose_ to remain with me. Antonio… I'm _still_ an empire."


	43. Chapter 42

**Thanks to AquaEclipse for reviewing.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 42**

Mongolia opened the door. He'd finished the list, and had every intention of handing it to France. The blond nation was the most powerful nation that was the most willing to listen to him, and who wasn't involved in any of this. China and Russia were…

…waiting for him outside the room.

He jumped in surprise, before quickly composing himself, looking between the two.

"Is there any reason why you seemed to be waiting for me here?" he asked.

"We want to know something," China said, and he quickly shot a glance at Russia. "Though, I'm a bit surprised that _you_ care about it."

Russia ignored China, and his eyes seemed to be stormy. He _must_ have been angry about something.

"We want to know who would have been the most likely to kill Japan," Russia explained.

Mongolia blinked, and looking closely, he could see what emotions were roiling in Russia's eyes.

"You were in love with him," Mongolia muttered.

Russia blinked a few times in confusion, and Mongolia wondered if Russia himself had realised it yet. China's eyes widened, and he looked towards Russia, who seemed as though he was processing a great revelation.

"I… I don't know…" he muttered.

China stared at Russia for a moment, before turning back to Mongolia.

"So…" he said, awkwardly clearing his throat, "who would have been the most likely to kill Japan?"

Mongolia shook himself from the surprise, and sighed.

"…It would have been either South Korea or Philippines," Mongolia said. "If not _both_ of them."

"…We know that Philippines is a cannibal," China said. "And Japan's heart was cannibalised. Would South do that?"

"I don't really know who's interested in that," Mongolia admitted. "I just know that there are a few of them. They're… really deranged."

"No kidding," China snorted, before turning to Russia. "…I think you broke him."

Mongolia felt sorry for Russia. He had been feeling confused about his feelings for the deceased nation, and when Mongolia pointed it out…

There was now no way for him to act out on his feelings for the smaller nation. And that was probably the worst torture.

"I've finished the list," Mongolia said. "Any idea where France might be?"

"Spain was pretty upset," China said. "I think you might find them together."

Mongolia nodded, though he wasn't surprised. He'd certainly seen the longing looks the two Romance nations would throw each other.

After finding out where to find Spain's room, he made his way there, before knocking on the door. A few seconds later found France on the other side, a relieved look on his face.

"Are you finished?" he asked.

Mongolia nodded, and it sounded as though Spain was on the phone with someone. France seemed to notice, for he sighed.

"He's speaking to Portugal," he explained. "He wants to know _his_ version of affairs."

"I understand," Mongolia said. "And at least he's not calling Italy or Romano."

France pursed his lips, before leaning against the doorframe.

"How did you figure out that those two are the leaders?" he asked.

Mongolia shrugged.

"Once I figured out which nations were members, I started looking for who they seem to treat with a degree of reverence," Mongolia explained. "Italy and Romano were the ones that fit that description. The same with the other group, though after realising how many of Portugal's colonies were involved, it was easy to figure out."

France nodded his head, before looking back towards Spain.

"…I'll let him finish, and then I'll call everyone back," he said.

Mongolia nodded, before he wandered off to find something else to do. He paused in the hallway when he saw someone sitting at a window. He recognised the nation as Andorra, and walked closer. There was something wrong with him.

Andorra was sitting in such a way that Mongolia could see his face, not that it mattered much. His expression was blank, and so were his eyes. He was simply staring out the window.

"Andorra?" Mongolia called out, without a reaction.

Mongolia reached out a hand and placed it on the European's shoulder, and _that_ got a reaction from him. Mongolia jumped a bit as Andorra jerked violently, and it looked as though he was snapping out of a trance _very_ violently. As soon as it seemed he returned to his senses, he hissed in pain, clutching his head.

"Are you alright?" Mongolia asked worriedly.

Andorra shook his head, but Mongolia wasn't sure if he was shaking off the remaining confusion or if he was answering in the negative. Andorra then turned his attention to Mongolia, and the Asian was shocked to see the pain in the other's blue eyes.

"What's happening to me?" Andorra asked, and Mongolia could clearly hear the tears in his voice before they even started brimming in the European's eyes.

"I don't know," Mongolia said, taking the seat next to Andorra. "Why don't you tell me what's bothering you?"

Andorra pursed his lips, before averting his gaze.

"I keep having these headaches," Andorra said. "And I keep zoning out. And I… It's almost as though… I keep hearing whispered voices. Every time this happens, it seems to get louder. I'm scared."

Mongolia frowned. No matter what the circumstances, hearing voices was _never_ a good sign. And the headaches and blacking out were also concerning factors.

"Have you shared your concerns with anyone else?" Mongolia asked.

Andorra shook his head.

"I wanted to," Andorra said. "And then I heard about Requiem, and the things they've been doing, and… I mean, they're just headaches. They don't compare to an organisation that's committed mass murder."

Mongolia rubbed Andorra's shoulder comfortingly, and the European seemed to sigh in relief.

"Your health is important," Mongolia said. "And the fact that something like this isn't _supposed_ to happen to nations is a reason to be concerned. Why don't we look into it later?"

Andorra nodded, a small smile playing on his face. He jumped a bit when France called everyone to the living room. Mongolia sighed.

"Let's get this over with," he said.

…

The Alvora nations had arrived at the front door without problems, but opening the door was a bit tricky, as it required a card-key. Svalbard dealt with it, and they were soon inside.

"Alright," Canada said, surveying their surroundings. "Tino, Hannes and Svalbard go left. Toris and Feliks, go right. Olivier and I will go ahead. See if you can rescue anyone. Do _not_ engage them in a fight unless absolutely necessary."

Canada wanted to hurt Requiem, but he needed to bear in mind that they had no idea how many of them were there. They could outnumber them, or they could be the ones outnumbered.

"Alright," Finland said, before turning to Svalbard. "Will the spell last, even if we're not together?"

Svalbard looked up to the nearest camera and nodded.

"We'll be safe from artificial eyes," he said. "But now, our challenge is to remain undetected from _them_."

Canada nodded in understanding, before turning to all of them in turn.

"You've all witnessed what Requiem is capable of," Canada said. "I don't need to tell you to be careful. And if you run into trouble and need help, you know how to reach the rest of us."

Everyone nodded their heads, except for Svalbard, who wore a (justifiable) look of confusion. Well, at least he would be with Finland to help him out, if help was needed.

And considering who they were up against, help would be needed.

…

France looked around the group, seeing that everyone was there. He then turned back to the list with a grimace.

"Alright," he said. "So, it looks like we were correct in our suspicion that Switzerland might be a member of Requiem. It makes me wonder why he would break his neutrality."

"If he even had it to begin with," Prussia said. "Being neutral would give them a good opportunity to observe everyone involved in a war without fighting against them themselves."

"A valid point," Russia said. "Who else?"

France scanned the list, before he sighed.

"Well, it would be easier to say that _any_ nation with Portuguese as an official language is a part of the second group," he said.

"Alvora," Spain interrupted. "They're called Alvora."

France turned sympathetic eyes to Spain, but it would seem as though the Spaniard wasn't as upset about it as he had been when he first heard the news.

"Did you speak to Miguel?" Andorra asked, to which Spain nodded.

"What can you tell us about that group?" China asked.

"Well… I don't know how much I believe of it," Spain said, "but… he said that their main goal is to rewrite the laws that govern nations."

"What does that even mean?" Estonia asked.

"Well… Among other things, they don't want nations to die, just because they're dissolved."

He glanced towards Prussia, who gave a lazy smile.

"I think I can agree with _that_ goal," he said.

France flinched. Prussia had confided in them a long time ago that he was living on borrowed time.

"How is it going now?" France asked.

Prussia sighed, before he turned thoughtful.

"Some of eastern Germany was returned to me," Prussia said. "A fair deal of the south went to Switzerland, and part of the north went to Denmark. The rest is unclaimed. I got Berlin, so that's something. It's enough to keep me alive. Though, the circumstances are unawesome."

France nodded his head.

"Well, Denmark is also on Requiem's list, so that explains a fair deal," he said.

"What about the other Nordics?" Estonia asked.

France quickly scanned the list again.

"Other than Finland being in… Alvor?" he started.

"Alvora," Spain supplied.

"Merci. Finland is in Alvora, and that's it for the Nordics."

Estonia seemed to be a bit disturbed at the revelation of his old friend having gone behind his back.

"We have a list of names," China said. "What are we going to do about it?"

"Everyone's divided into groups, non?" France asked.

"Almost everyone," Ukraine said. "I believe most of the Middle Eastern nations decided to go on their own."

"We need to approach the groups that _don't_ have anyone involved," France said.

"And maybe even those that _do_ have someone," Russia said. "The Yugoslavians, for example."

"Can't," Spain said immediately. "Portugal told me that Yugoslavia is currently scattered. The two groups confronted each other, and Slovenia and Bulgaria escaped with Bosnia, while Serbia and Kosovo got the rest."

"Kosovo?" Mongolia repeated, frowning. "He's involved too?"

"You seem surprised," Estonia remarked.

"Well… I didn't think they'd actually _involve_ any of the children. Then again, many of them were _raised_ on their ideals…"

"Does that mean Moldova is a part of them too?" Latvia asked. "Well, since Romania is involved?"

"Probably."

Spain shook his head, and France noted this immediately.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"What?" Spain questioned, confused. "Oh, nothing really. It's just… I found out that Portugal and Romania have been in a relationship for the last four hundred years or so."

Prussia snickered, while the rest seemed equally surprised, except for Mongolia, who waved it off.

"Yeah, I noticed a few of them are romantically involved with each other," he said. "I personally don't see a problem with it."

"I… guess not," Russia said, frowning thoughtfully.

China and Mongolia shot Russia a sympathetic look, and though France was curious, he didn't pry.

"There's _one_ thing that concerns me," France admitted, looking down at the list again. "There appears to be a few groups with conflicting members. Ireland and Wales, Denmark and Finland… We've already heard of a break in the Yugoslavians."

"The Nordics too, apparently," Spain said. "Portugal decided to fill me in as much as possible. Again, I don't know how much I believe, but… I think some of these things would be easy to verify."

"Such as?" China prompted.

"Well… he said that most of Africa is under their control. Five are Requiem nations that captured five other nations. In other words, with the exception of ten nations, all of Africa is under Alvora's control."

"You're kidding!" France exclaimed, eyes widening. "How did they…?"

Spain shrugged.

"I've noticed a few nations have been severing ties," China mused, frowning thoughtfully. "I called my government, and a lot of African nations have severed their connection. Among them… South Africa."

"I've experienced the same thing," Russia said.

There was a long moment of silence as they processed everything.

"How did it not raise any flags before now?" Taiwan asked.

"I think everyone's been so occupied with everything else that they didn't check to look at the foreign affairs," Hong Kong suggested.

"That's a viable point," Andorra said.

"Alright, so we can ask any of the African nations," China said.

"They're also contractually forbidden from saying anything about Alvora to anyone that isn't part of their circle," Spain said. "So, we can call them, but they won't say anything."

"Exactly how much did he _tell_ you?" Prussia asked incredulously.

Spain shrugged, before he frowned.

"There's something else he mentioned," Spain said. "Recently, they discovered the existence of sleepers. Nations not technically part of Requiem. He couldn't tell me more, since they didn't know much on the subject."

"Sleepers?" Andorra asked, eyes wide. "As in, sleeper agents?"

"Seems like it."

France noticed Andorra growing pale, and he frowned in concern.

"Is something wrong?" France asked.

Andorra didn't immediately answer, but instead looked towards Mongolia, who seemed to have grown pale as well.

"I…" Andorra said. "Ever since… the last meeting, I've been suffering from these headaches. And I sometimes black out. And recently… I've been hearing voices."

"What?" France questioned.

"Why didn't you say anything earlier?" Spain asked, standing up and stepping closer to Andorra.

"I _wanted_ to," Andorra said. "The whole reason why I accepted the original invitation was so that I could ask France to take a look at what might be wrong with me. And then with everything that's happening…"

France could tell that Andorra was afraid, and he looked around the room.

"Does anyone know if there's a way to test this?" he asked.

China and Russia exchanged a look, and they both had grim looks on their faces. China sighed, before turning to France.

"It depends on how desperate you are," he said. "Obviously, _if_ Andorra is one of their sleeper agents, then he's unaware. Which implies that there is a fair amount of, at best, hypnotism involved. Or brainwashing."

"Unless the agent is activated, we wouldn't be able to tell," Russia said. "And if he _is_ one of their sleepers, then there's no way to know _how_ to activate him. It could be anything – an image, a sound, a smell…"

"So… there's no way to be sure?" France asked.

"Well…" China said. "There _is_ a way. Like I said, it depends on how desperate you are. We _could_ try hypnotising him, and that's the safest way."

"'Safest'?" Andorra repeated with a squeak.

"And the method that wouldn't make _us_ the villains," Russia said.

"What's the other method?" Spain asked.

"…It involves psychological torture," China said. "Possibly indoctrination."

"I vote for the hypnotism," Andorra said hastily, looking between France and Spain.

"Good call," Prussia said.

"…We're never getting to any of the others, are we?" Hong Kong asked.

"Well, it would probably not be necessary for _all_ of us to remain here," France said, looking around. "And we could always call others here."

"And who are we going to call, exactly?" Estonia asked.

"…The G7 is the first group that take the leadership position. Of that group, only I remain outside of either group's influence. The next is the G13, which includes China and Russia. And afterwards…"

"After that, it's the G20," Russia finished. "And who does that leave us with?"

France examined the list again.

"Australia, Saudi Arabia and Turkey," he said.

There was a pregnant pause.

"Looks like we're calling the three of them in," China said. "Should we tell them to bring anyone along?"

"New Zealand is listed as a member of Requiem," France said. "That brings about another list of troubles. All of the Oceanic nations are with Australia right now, and next to him, New Zealand is the most influential. I don't want to leave those islands in his mercy. And I don't want to invite an enemy here."

"Well, we _could_ use it as a trap," Prussia suggested.

Mongolia let out a pained sound, and hastily shook his head.

"Bad idea," he said. "Really bad idea."

"And why is that?" Russia asked, a dangerous smile on his face.

"Because New Zealand happens to be Italy's lover," Mongolia said. "I would _seriously_ not recommend trying to capture him, unless you want to piss off one of the leaders."

"…That actually gives us _more_ of a reason to capture New Zealand. We can… negotiate, da?"

Mongolia looked extremely uncomfortable, and France couldn't help but throw Spain a look. If his lover was captured… Of course, France and Spain weren't lovers. Still, France could hope. But if Spain was captured, or anything else were to happen to him… He didn't know what he would do.

The stereotypes of Italian lovers came to mind, and France shuddered. Italy wouldn't _really_ be like those stereotypes, right? Then again, if he could somehow orchestrate the death of whom everyone assumed to be his best friend, then perhaps he _would_ be a dangerous opponent if his love was threatened. The same with Romano.

"Who do you know to be in a relationship?" France asked Mongolia.

The Asian appeared to be surprised by the question, and turned thoughtful.

"Hard to say, to be honest," he said. "Some of them are _very_ discreet."

"What about Poland and Lithuania?" Estonia asked.

"Absolutely not," Mongolia dismissed immediately. "The two might have joined around the same time and under similar circumstances, and I know their history might imply more, but there is absolutely no romantic relationship between them."

France couldn't help but notice how, for a very brief moment, Prussia seemed to become annoyed.

 **The scenes with France's group lasted longer than I thought they would have. Oh well. I'll get to the infiltration again soon.**


	44. Chapter 43

**Thanks to AquaEclipse for reviewing.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 43**

Finland scanned the hallway, seeing that it was thankfully clear. He wondered where the Requiem members were, but decided not to question their luck too much. He looked back towards the other two and nodded.

He would have loved to be partnered up with Poland, but he was responsible for Åland. He needed to make sure that he remained safe. And Svalbard also became his responsibility the moment he decided that he would join them. No, from the moment Finland ended up in Svalbard.

There must have been a reason why Norway sent him to Svalbard. He found the entire situation to be suspicious, to be honest. Why would Norway send him away in the first place, when it was revealed that Finland had lied to them?

Just like Denmark.

He remembered Denmark mentioning that Finland's organisation – Alvora – was opposing Requiem. And Denmark had stated his intention of returning the Kalmar Union.

Mexico wanted to restore the Aztec Empire, Denmark the Kalmar Union, and the Italy brothers the Roman Empire. Did _all_ of them want to restore a former empire? In the cases of Mexico and the Italy brothers, restoring the former empire wouldn't bring the person back. Were they just longing for those days?

The trio arrived at a door, and Finland immediately noticed that it required a card-key to unlock. He glanced towards Svalbard, and the island stepped closer, holding out his hand.

…If all the doors were locked with card-keys, then the others would have a problem.

The door was unlocked, and Finland opened it. His eyes widened when he saw what was on the other side, or rather, _who_.

"Nigeria?" he asked.

The African nation looked up, and Finland felt himself grow sick. There was a pool of blood around Nigeria, and it looked like he was using his fingers to carve into his flesh. His eyes were feral, and it didn't appear as though there was anything remotely human about him anymore.

And when Nigeria bared his teeth in an animalistic snarl, Finland knew that he needed to close the door immediately. So he did, and he waited for it to lock before he stepped away.

"What have they done to him?" Finland whispered.

Feeling horrified by what he'd seen, he led the others to the next door, thankful that they didn't see anything.

…

White came to a stop at a petrol station, and she told the guy to fill up the tank. She looked back towards the others, who were scrambling for the door.

"Bathroom break," she said drily. "And when you're done, go to the restaurant."

"Yes!" Zimbabwe exclaimed. "Lunch!"

She sighed, before turning to the chuckling human.

"Have you been driving long?" he asked.

"We started from Durban," she said.

She quickly scanned this human, learning everything about him. He was saving up money to go to university. A bright mind, but too poor to be able to go, and only barely missed the bursary.

She hoped he managed it.

She smiled as he proceeded to wash the windows, calling someone else to check the tyre pressure. That was the one thing she could never understand of the Europeans: why they would make it all self-help. It destroyed many opportunities, the least of which were job opportunities.

As soon as the tank was refuelled and the _joggie_ paid, she went to park the minibus. Morocco and Black would be joining them about…

"Ultra City. Nice."

…Now.

She turned around, arching her eyebrow when she saw her brother.

"So, how did things go with oupa?" she asked.

"Well, he apparently knew for a while what I can do," Black said. "He didn't even have to think about it. He didn't have to go into a trance or anything."

"I hate it when he doesn't tell us anything," White sighed. "So, what can you do?"

"It's apparently some sort of telepathic ability," Morocco supplied. "He can connect with others' minds. He can experience everything they're experiencing. And he can also influence them, apparently."

"You mean, like what we can do with our humans?"

"But with nations," Black said. "I just need to be focused and relaxed to do it."

White smiled.

"It might prove useful," she said. "And I'm sure Sammy would appreciate not being the sole nation responsible for information gathering or tracking. Anyway, we're going to get some lunch. I just need to go to the bathroom."

"Oh yeah," Black said, "it seems you _do_ have the ability to connect with mythical creatures, and convince them to help you. You can even make urban legends true."

White nodded her head, and they left the minibus to go to their destinations. When White entered the bathroom, she noticed that she was all alone. At least, at first.

She turned towards the entrance, seeing a creature she'd heard about in urban myth.

"Pinky Pinky, I presume," she said.

…

Greenland frowned, staring at the screen. She noticed that Nigeria's door had been opened, but she couldn't see anything. She had no idea who had gone there, but Nigeria was still in the room.

She also checked for other irregularities, and saw that the main door had been opened. But it wasn't too surprising. Every now and again, one of the others would go outside for some fresh air. Libya and Eritrea didn't go out for long. Neither did Seborga. Faroe and Greenland were the only ones that could go out for a longer time.

Again, the cameras revealed nothing. She started to feel a little worried. Quickly, she grabbed the walkie-talkie.

"Libya, I need you and Eritrea to check something out," she said. "Check the front door and Nigeria's room. Actually, make it _all_ the rooms."

"Is there a security breach?" Libya asked.

She was about to answer, before the power went out. She waited for the backup power, but it never came.

"I think that's an affirmative," she said.

…

Quebec stepped out of the room, smiling in happiness. Canada shook his head.

"They're definitely going to realise that we're here," he said.

"Well, we can't do anything without those card-keys," Quebec said. "At least _this_ didn't have an electronic lock."

When they noticed that almost all of the rooms had electronic locks, they went to seek out the power room. When they found it, Quebec immediately set to work on shutting it off, along with the backup power. It would buy them some time as they sought out the prisoners.

"Come on," Canada said, before he started to pull Quebec along.

…

Poland and Lithuania paused when the lights went off, but when nothing else happened, they decided that they would take advantage of the situation. They'd had some trouble with the electronic locks, and wondered if they could open the doors now.

Lithuania went to the nearest door, opening it and sighing in relief when it opened. That relief was short-lived, though.

"…I found Tunisia," he said.

Poland frowned, before he walked up next to Lithuania. His eyes widened when he saw Tunisia.

The North-African nation was lying still, his clothes covered in blood. Lithuania reached out his senses to see if Tunisia was permanently dead, and relaxed when he realised that it was a temporary death.

"We need to get him out of here," Lithuania said.

"Tak," Poland agreed. "Like, before any of them come by."

Lithuania brought his wrist up to his mouth, a bracelet around his wrist.

"We found Tunisia," he said quietly. "We're taking him outside. He's temporarily dead."

He added that piece of information to explain that there would be no need to protect Tunisia from the cold. Lithuania and Poland glanced towards each other, trying to decide who would be carrying Tunisia. Lithuania sighed. He was a bit taller than Poland, so it would be easier for him.

He approached Tunisia, picking him up easily. He frowned. It would seem that Tunisia hadn't eaten anything recently.

"Come on," Lithuania urged. "We'll take him to Vlad, and then we'll see if the others need help."

Even though Tunisia was their main target for Morocco's sake, they would still need to see if they could get anyone else. Considering that Requiem brought their prisoners to that location for a reason, they knew that they needed to get as many nations out of there as possible. _If_ it was possible.

…

Jordan and Lebanon were drinking coffee with the Yugoslavian nations. Israel was keeping an eye on Serbia, along with Kosovo, and the regions were somewhere else.

"You know, I never thought that we'd have coffee together," Lebanon remarked.

"You're right," Herzegovina said. "We don't exactly belong to the same social circles."

"Strange how circumstances can bring people together," Jordan remarked.

"So, what happens now?" Croatia asked.

Everyone was silent.

"I'm only worried about whether or not they can save Bosnia," Herzegovina said. "If they _can_ , then I'll gladly cooperate with them."

Macedonia sighed, before massaging her temples.

"This is just one mess after another," she said. "Conspiracies, kidnapping…"

"Attempted murder," Montenegro added. "This… I've never heard of anything like this before. Not among nations. It's like…"

"The world we've been living in isn't our own anymore," Croatia said.

"No, it still is," Lebanon said. "There are just things about it that we didn't know about."

"Conspiracies aren't really that new," Jordan agreed. "They just usually don't last that long, and they usually result in a war. This… I'm not even sure _what_ this is."

"You're forgetting that there was actual murder."

They all jumped, before turning to the doorway. Israel was standing there, leaning against the doorframe with a blank look on his face.

"H-how long have _you_ been there?" Croatia asked.

"A while," Israel said. "You're forgetting that Requiem already murdered a number of nations. Powerful, influential nations."

The others were silent for a while. Israel then glanced towards the cups in front of them.

"…That doesn't look like a bad idea," he said. "I'm sure Matthew wouldn't mind…"

Israel shrugged, before heading towards the kitchen. The others were silent until he left, before sighing in relief.

"…How much do you think he heard?" Montenegro asked.

"It depends on how much we said that we wouldn't want him to hear," Macedonia said.

"I don't think he's mad," Jordan said. "But… there's definitely something bothering him."

"Hopefully it has nothing to do with us," Herzegovina said.

…

Finland and the other two opened yet another door, worried about the contents. So far, they had seen Nigeria and Sudan, both of them looking feral. At least Sudan didn't look as though he was going to attack them. There were also many empty rooms.

Finland held his breath when he saw DRC on the other side, and the African nation was shaking his head. Unlike the other two, DRC was tied up. He looked up, and after a moment of fogginess, he seemed to recognise Finland.

"You're… one of the Europeans," he said.

"Finland, yes," he said, before taking a cautious step inside. "What did they do to you?"

"I'm… I'm not sure. There's just a constant buzzing."

Finland looked around, seeing the speakers. He wondered if the buzzing could come from subliminal messages. He frowned, before turning back to DRC.

"How do you feel?" he asked.

"Tired," DRC said. "Stiff… A bit thirsty, to be honest."

"Not hungry?"

DRC shook his head.

"The only time the buzzing stopped is when they were bringing me something to eat," he said. "It was… regular enough."

Finland was still suspicious. Obviously, they were doing _something_ to him. He remembered what happened with Iceland. Sleepers. Could they be doing the same to DRC?

He also thought back to Nigeria and Sudan. Unlike the other two, DRC appeared to be coherent. If they were trying to do something to him, then it might be better to extract him before it was too late.

And if something bad were to happen, then Finland knew that he would need to bear the brunt of the responsibility.

He looked back towards Åland and Svalbard, nodding his head. They should really rescue DRC while they were there, and while it appeared as though he was coherent enough to cooperate. They weren't sure what Requiem did to him, but they could figure it out soon.

While the two islands were working on untying DRC, Finland suddenly experienced a chill down his spine. He looked backwards and gasped.

"Looks like Greenland was right to worry," Eritrea said.

…

India, Myanmar and Bangladesh had taken a helicopter near Tibet's current location. Well, not too near. They were far enough away that they wouldn't alert whoever was with Tibet. They didn't want to lose the element of surprise, and they didn't want to give the other nation a reason to kill Tibet.

They drove some of the way, but when India informed them that they were getting close, they killed the engine, before climbing out, weapons at the ready. They knew that they had to hurry.

They ran as silently as they could, before India stopped them again. He frowned in concern.

There was a village in front of them, but it was clear that the place had recently seen a fire. But the smoke had had time to clear. Which meant that Tibet and his tormentor had been there for a while.

India indicated that they should move quietly, and the other two nodded. No one needed to be told twice.

…

White joined the others, a satisfied smile on her face. She managed to convince the creature to work for them. She looked around, seeing that they all had menus open in front of them.

"Keep in mind that you're all paying for your own meals," she said.

"What?" Zimbabwe asked.

"Have you _seen_ how many of you there are?"

"It's fair," Kenya remarked.

Belgium frowned, before glancing towards Netherlands.

"You two are _definitely_ related," she remarked.

Netherlands shrugged.

…

Canada opened a door, and gasped when he saw the occupant. Uganda was propped against the farthest wall, not responding at all. Canada approached him, and that was when he saw the scar. He knew what it meant.

Uganda had been lobotomised.

He didn't know what a lobotomy could do to a nation, but he felt that it wasn't permanent. And what's more, why would they go for _that_ method? And when was it done?

Only when Canada was right in front of him did Uganda respond. He looked up, his eyes blank.

"Hey there," Canada said gently. "Let's get you out of here, okay?"

He held out his hand, but Uganda only looked at it blankly. Canada sighed, before crouching down next to Uganda, helping the nation to his feet. It only took him a moment to understand what was happening, and then he managed to gain his own footing. Canada then grabbed his hand, before gently leading him out of the room.

A yelp caught his attention, and he worriedly looked over towards Quebec.

Quebec's neck was grabbed from behind, and holding him in a firm grasp was Libya, who looked between the two Canadians.

"Seems Greenland was right in assuming we have a couple of mice roaming around," Libya said.

"Let him go right now," Canada demanded, releasing Uganda's hand and taking a step closer.

Libya, in turn, pulled Quebec closer, making the province whimper in fear. Canada could see Libya's nails digging into Quebec's neck.

"Not so fast," Libya said. "It's been a while since we had a region here. So many of them have died here. I wonder, will this little one join his brethren?"

Quebec clenched his eyes shut, and Canada's face twisted in a snarl.

"What do you want?!" he demanded.

"You intrude in our place and you ask _me_ about what _I_ want?" Libya asked. "You're very rude, aren't you?"

"And you threatened my brother."

Libya shrugged.

"…How did you learn of this place?" he asked.

"It doesn't matter," Canada said. "Let him go, or state your terms."

"My terms? I see, you're willing to negotiate the release of this region."

Libya's grip tightened, and Quebec grimaced in pain.

"I'm willing to release him," Libya said, "if _you're_ willing to take his place."

…

Lithuania and Poland left Tunisia with Romania, who looked over towards the facility.

"I have a feeling that something bad is happening," Romania said, before bringing his wrist up to his mouth. "Matthew, Tino?"

They were silent for a moment, before Romania turned to them again.

"Neither's answering," Romania said.

Lithuania and Poland exchanged a look. They both knew that it could only mean trouble. Poland was especially worried, considering the fact that Finland had been attacked earlier. The possibility of him being attacked yet again filled him with fear.

"Come on," Poland said, grabbing Lithuania's wrist.

Lithuania couldn't even find it within himself to protest.

…

South looked over towards Tibet. He forgot how long it could take for non-nations to revive. Well, he knew that Tibet _would_ be revived. In fact, he was pretty sure he could see the first stirrings of life.

Sighing in boredom, he absently started to reach out with his senses. He wasn't expecting other nations to arrive, except perhaps for China, who might come by to investigate the state of Tibet. However…

He frowned when he realised that he _could_ sense nations. Three of them, in fact. Since this wasn't his land, he couldn't get a clearer picture. However, he knew that they weren't allies, as they would have called to tell him that they were coming.

He cocked his head to the side, before glancing towards Tibet. He didn't believe that they were there randomly. They were most likely there for Tibet. And since they weren't Requiem…

It didn't matter whether or not they were Alvora. They were enemies, and South would deal with them. He was also looking forward to a break from the boredom.

While he waited for them, he entertained himself with the possibilities of the nations' identities.

 **Shell Ultra City, the friend of road trips! Seriously, these petrol stations are great, and not just because of the restaurant.** _ **Clean bathrooms**_ **!**

 **In South Africa, if you're going to refuel your car's tank, you won't likely find a self-service station. The petrol** _ **joggies**_ **(sorry, I only know what they're referred to in Afrikaans) will do everything for you. They'll refuel your car, wash the front window, check your tyre pressure (and pump it if necessary). The only thing you pay for is the fuel.**

 **Pinky Pinky is an urban legend that originated as a means of preventing girls and women from going to a public bathroom alone. It's supposedly an androgynous, humanoid figure.**


	45. Chapter 44

**Thanks to AquaEclipse for reviewing.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 44**

Slovenia went to check on Bosnia, smiling when he saw the headphones were still in place. It wasn't as effective to do it as it was in the Washroom, but this way they could ensure that the right messages were given.

Bosnia would not be given anything to eat, and he would remain with the headphones on until either Slovenia or Bulgaria decided to change things up. But for now, they needed to keep the headphones in place.

Bosnia had to be given ample time to relive the Yugoslav wars.

Serbia didn't make himself very popular during that time, and they would use that to their advantage. And even though the idea was thrilling, he knew that he and Bulgaria would get bored. If only they'd managed to get a few of the others.

Slovenia jumped when he heard the doorbell, and he started to grow suspicious. Then again, an enemy (Alvora) wouldn't ring the doorbell. Perhaps it was just a human, or a nation that didn't know about Requiem.

He headed towards the front door, Bulgaria looking at him worriedly. It was clear that his fellow Balkan didn't expect anyone either.

But the moment he opened the door, all tension disappeared, only to be replaced by annoyance.

"Why didn't you warn me that you're coming?" he demanded.

Hungary and Belarus smirked.

"We wanted to surprise you," Hungary said, patting his shoulder before entering.

He glared at the two female nations, and he heard Bulgaria groan when he saw that they were there. And he anticipated that he and Bulgaria were about to get even _more_ frustrated.

Slovenia was missing his lover, and he suspected that Bulgaria did as well. And now, seeing _these_ two were sure to make them already more depressed about the situation, especially Bulgaria. Slovenia _could_ attempt to invite his lover over.

Well, there was still the issue of Bulgaria being a bit lonely, considering that his lover wouldn't be able to join them anytime soon.

…

Finland tensed as soon as he saw Eritrea. The African nation glanced towards the islands behind him, before focusing on Finland again.

"So, how did you get in here?" Eritrea asked.

"Does it matter?" Finland asked.

"If it's a breach in security, then yes, it does matter. We need to prevent this from happening again, after all. We also need to know who else is here. But it's fortuitous that _you're_ here, Finland."

Finland's eyes widened when he heard that.

"Why?" he demanded.

"Denmark _would_ have killed you," Eritrea said, "but he said that there was something about your confrontation that made him want to explore the realm of possibilities. Once he was able to, he would have brought you _here_."

"What?"

Eritrea smirked.

"You found your way here, but you don't know what this place _is_?" Eritrea taunted. "If you keep being unprepared, then I guess Alvora won't be a threat for long."

Finland narrowed his eyes.

"What is this place?" he asked coldly.

Eritrea cocked his head to the side, as though contemplating whether or not to tell him.

"…No," he said, "I don't think you need to know. It wouldn't matter, anyway. None of you are leaving, except under _our_ terms."

And that was when Eritrea pulled out a handgun. Finland reflexively pulled out his own, and he sensed that Åland did the same. Eritrea paused, looking between the two.

"You weren't prepared for this, were you?" Finland asked.

Eritrea smirked.

"I'll admit, you caught be by surprise," he said. "Still… I can't afford for any of you to leave."

He adjusted his aim slightly, before he fired. Finland instinctively returned fire, hitting Eritrea between the eyes. The African nation dropped to the ground, temporarily dead.

Finland sighed in relief, before looking behind him. The one that had been shot was DRC. Finland reached out, and sighed in relief when he realised that the other wasn't permanently departed.

But now they had other problems. They needed to get DRC out of there, before more Requiem nations approached. The facility was large, as they had seen, but depending on how far away other members were, and how many there were, they could have more problems.

"We need to get him to Vlad," Finland said, before bringing the bracelet to his mouth. "We had a run-in with Eritrea, but the threat has been dealt with. We found DRC, and we're bringing him outside now."

He had barely finished when he heard a response.

" _What took you so long?_ "

Finland winced, and he could tell that Poland was worried about him. Still, he shouldn't speak so loudly in enemy territory.

The bracelets were a clever invention of Romania's from a few centuries ago. When worn, they could allow one to immediately communicate with anyone else wearing a bracelet. Of course, it had its limitations. One needed to only speak into the bracelet to convey a message, and the ones receiving the message would have it broadcasted into their thoughts. That was one of the limitations. If too many people used it to communicate at any time, then it could prove to be quite a headache. Literally.

That also applied if one spoke too loudly. Like Poland just now. There was the fact that Finland's lover had just screamed inside his head, but he couldn't blame him much. He had been attacked earlier that day, and he had failed to respond to Romania's call. He could understand why Poland would be worried.

"Sorry, Feliks," Finland apologised. "I'll see you soon. I promise."

He turned back to the others, and he saw that Svalbard had opted for carrying DRC on his back.

"Sorry about that," Finland said.

"No problem," Svalbard said. "I'm just worried about one thing. Why did he shoot _him_?"

Finland didn't have an answer for him.

…

Greece, along with the others, returned to their current base. Bhutan was being carried in Nepal's arms. The information overload had been too much for the Asian, and he had passed out.

"I'll go take our little oracle to his room," Nepal said. "When he wakes up, I'll make sure that he gives us _all_ the information we want to know."

Greece smiled, shaking his head lightly. He was sure that Nepal would manage to make Bhutan share the knowledge that he had gained, whether or not Bhutan wanted to.

Having an oracle would surely be a great bonus. They'd had one in the past – Crete. She had been willing to help them out as much as possible, until she'd seen a particularly brutal vision. To this day, Greece didn't know the contents, and she refused to share. But it had been enough to turn her against Requiem, something which couldn't be allowed. But instead of being _persuaded_ to help them again, she had done the bizarre thing and killed herself.

It wasn't unheard of for nations to commit suicide, but it was still rare. Again, Greece couldn't help but wonder what the vision was about.

Well, if they were lucky, then Bhutan would be able to receive a vision with equal power. But they would prevent history from repeating itself. They would make sure that they didn't lose another oracle.

…

Canada narrowed his eyes, not averting his gaze from Libya. He knew that there was no way they could be allowed to capture any one of them again. He heard about the torture Sao Tomé had gone through – the area around his own curl seemed to itch in sympathy.

And there was no way that Canada could allow them to hurt his brother. He already lost one brother, and had no intention to losing another one to _them_. He didn't want them to have another victory over his family.

Libya seemed to notice his inner turmoil, and smirked.

"Can't make up your mind, can you?" he asked, his voice cold and quiet. "Do you hear that, little one? Your brother can't decide between leaving you or sacrificing himself for you."

"Sous… sa peau," Quebec said.

Libya's grip tightened, and Quebec gasped in obvious pain.

"I would appreciate it if you spoke in a language I could understand," he hissed.

Canada understood. Quebec was telling him to get under Libya's skin. And thankfully, courtesy of Morocco and the other Africans, he knew exactly _what_ would get Libya worked up.

He just needed to figure out how to do it.

"Tell me, who else is here?" Canada said. "Because I highly doubt _you'd_ be the only one here to guard this place."

"What is _that_ supposed to mean?" Libya demanded, glaring at Canada.

"You know, I was expecting someone masculine and tough to be one of the guards of this place," Canada continued. "Not someone more feminine than the actual female nations."

 _That_ got his attention. Libya threw Quebec to the side, before he removed a scimitar from his waist.

"I changed my mind," Libya said. "I think I prefer you _dead_ instead."

Canada had to hold back his smile. It worked.

Libya charged at Canada, who deftly stepped out of the way. He winced, having been nicked by the sword. He carefully shielded his arm as Libya lunged at him, aiming to stab instead of slash.

 _Bang!_

Libya's eyes widened as he stumbled, red blossoming on his arm. He turned around to face Quebec, who had a handgun out and aimed at Libya. Canada smiled at his brother.

Quebec shot twice more, and Libya fell in a crumpled heap. Canada sighed in relief, before turning to Quebec.

"Merci, Olivier," he said.

Quebec smiled, before tucking the weapon away.

"We should probably go, before someone else appears," Quebec said. "Especially someone more difficult to distract."

Canada nodded his head, before he turned around. Uganda was standing there, his expression blank, but his gaze was focused on Libya. Canada grabbed his hand again.

"Come on," he said.

…

"Why are we _here_ again?" Malta asked.

"Because we need to make a few final arrangements before we can do anything else," Vatican said simply. "Feliciano told me that he would like to make this a central base, for now."

They had returned to Vatican's house, and he was quickly checking on a few things. Malta leaned against the doorframe, upset that she couldn't immediately join her boyfriend.

Still, at least she wasn't in San Marino's shoes – his boyfriend was still on a mission, and there was no way he would be joining them anytime soon.

…

Finland and the others were rushing through the hallways, thankfully recalling where to find the entrance. They were just about there when they saw two familiar figures.

Greenland and Faroe Islands.

Finland came to a stop, and he could sense Åland tensing behind him. He knew that he had been friends with the other two, and so seeing them now wasn't welcome.

"Don't make us fight you," Finland said darkly, reaching for his weapon.

"Are you _joking_?" Greenland scoffed. "We're two autonomous regions, and you're a full nation. We're not stupid. We know the odds aren't in our favour."

Finland was surprised, and he subconsciously relaxed a bit.

"Then… what do you want?" he asked.

"We can't exactly let you remember this place," Faroe said, before throwing a small, metal sphere.

They were nervous, and once the sphere stopped rolling, it released a gas, along with a shrill sound that immediately had them all moving to cover their ears. It took a while for the sound to cease, and once it did, the gas had been cleared and the siblings were gone.

"I don't like this," Åland said nervously, looking around. "Where did they go? And what _was_ that?"

"I don't know," Finland said, picking up the sphere. "But I think we should take this along, just in case."

"Tell me, is this _always_ like this for you guys?" Svalbard asked.

"Things tend to vary."

…

"Are you sure that this would work?" Andorra asked nervously.

"If you relax, then it might," China said firmly. "And remember, this is the _safe_ method."

"That's why I'm nervous!"

France sighed, before he gently stroked Andorra's hair. The other looked up at him questioningly.

"Tell me, are you afraid of learning the truth?" France asked.

Andorra nodded his head.

"I'm afraid I'll see that I _am_ their puppet," he admitted.

"But there's always the possibility that there's nothing," Spain said, trying to sound cheerful. "For all we know, those headaches are because of some new crime syndicate or something."

Andorra glared at Spain.

"That does _not_ help me," he said firmly.

"Alright, enough," Mongolia said. "Hong Kong, did you find that music?"

"Yeah," Hong Kong said, holding out his phone.

"Alright. Could you press play? And the rest of you… _out_. I don't need any distractions."

"I'm staying to keep an eye on everything," China said. "I don't entirely trust you."

Mongolia sighed, but nodded his head. Andorra looked over towards France.

"Could you stay too?" Andorra asked meekly.

France smiled, before looking over towards Mongolia. The Asian nation rolled his eyes.

"Fine," he said. "But you do _not_ say _anything_."

"Understood," France said.

The rest left, and Andorra prepared himself for this session.

…

"It's quiet," Myanmar remarked.

"Are you sure they're here?" Bangladesh asked, looking towards India.

India was silent for a moment, his eyes darting around. Myanmar shook his head. He had a feeling that a proper answer wouldn't be forthcoming anytime soon.

They flinched when they heard the familiar sound of a gunshot, and Bangladesh cried out in pain, falling to the ground. He held his leg, which had started bleeding. After making sure that Bangladesh wasn't in danger of dying, the other two looked for the source of the gunshot.

"Well, _this_ is a surprise," a familiar voice said.

They followed the direction of the voice to see South Korea standing there, looking idly between them.

" _You_?" Myanmar asked, his eyes widening.

"You're not really up to speed, are you?" South stated. "Then again, Rishi told me that you two had been out of the loop. Easy to fool. Made getting Bhutan easier as well."

Myanmar felt his blood boil at the reference to the betrayal. He wanted so desperately to wipe that smug smile off South Korea's face. But India's hand on his arm held him in check.

"I can't help but notice how casually you mention Nepal's name," India said. "I take it you're close."

South smirked.

"As close as you and Israel," he said.

"…I thought so," India sighed.

Myanmar tried to hold in the shudder. He did _not_ want to think of something like that.

There was a bit of a stalemate. Bangladesh was currently down, and neither Myanmar nor India had a ranged weapon with them. South, on the other hand, still had his pistol, and they could see other weapons strapped to his frame as well.

South looked between them, as though thinking along the same lines as Myanmar.

"What did you do to Tibet?" Bangladesh demanded. "And what about Bhutan?"

"Looks like _one_ of you has his priorities straight," South mocked. "Regarding Tibet… he's still recovering from being burned alive. He won't be entertaining until he wakes up. And as for Bhutan… Don't worry, Rishi is taking _good_ care of him. He was complaining that he couldn't take a bite from him, but I'm sure the others would be able to take care of him. Though, not too much…"

Myanmar felt sick. India had told them that some of Requiem's members partook in cannibalism, but he dismissed it as propaganda. Could it be… _true_?

"How can you _enjoy_ something like this?" India demanded.

"Hey, I don't enjoy it," South said, losing his amusement. "Human meat isn't exactly the most appetising. Especially raw."

"That's what you did to Japan, isn't it?"

South smirked again.

"I thought a twisted end would be perfect for him," he said.

Myanmar reeled back. He actually felt a bit of bile rise up his throat. South Korea was the one to murder Japan? He was the one to _eat_ his heart?

"Looks like someone's about to lose his lunch," South mocked, turning his attention to Myanmar.

"He's not a psychopath," Bangladesh argued, though he also looked at Myanmar, albeit with a hint of worry.

South shrugged, before looking between them.

"I'm actually glad you came," South said. "I have to wait for Tibet to wake up, but since he's not a full nation, it's taking so _long_. And here are three new playmates. Well, two I think. Bangladesh appears to be down for the count."

Bangladesh glared at South, and India stepped out in front of them.

"Burma, go get Tibet," India said. "I'll keep this one busy."

Myanmar was startled. It was very rare for any of his friends to call him 'Burma'. They only did so when they wanted to convey an important message.

And, yes, he supposed that there was little more important than rescuing someone in trouble.

"If you want to play," India said, holding his weapon aloft, "then I'll be happy to indulge you."

South Korea smirked, before putting the gun away. He then removed twin short swords, brandishing them with glee. India tensed, his grip on his talwar tightening.

"I hope you entertain me," South said, before he closed the distance between them, India doing the same.

…

Lithuania kept an eye on Poland, who had relaxed a bit after apparently learning that Finland was alright. Still, the shorter male was obviously worried about his lover.

Well, Lithuania couldn't exactly blame him. He was worried as well. Even though Prussia wasn't near Requiem at the moment, he was still among non-Alvora nations that would be suspicious. If they learned about Prussia's allegiance…

Lithuania had to hold in a shudder. He knew that Russia was there as well, and he'd never been good at holding in his anger. He just hoped that it didn't reach that point.

He also hoped that Russia didn't learn about Lithuania's place in all of this. His back tingled as he thought about meeting an angry and betrayed Russia.


	46. Chapter 45

**Thanks to AquaEclipse for reviewing.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 45**

"Where are you going?" Afghanistan asked suspiciously.

Pakistan sighed as he laced up his boots.

"I told you, I'm meeting someone," he said. "They asked me not to tell anyone where I was going, or who I was meeting with. But I promise you, I'll be fine."

He gestured to the firearms he had on his person, and Afghanistan narrowed her eyes.

"I don't like this," she said. "What with everything going on…"

"Taliban's really been messing with your head," Pakistan interrupted. "You're suspicious of everything."

"And for good reason! Three nations have been found dead, and we _still_ haven't heard anything else about the matter!"

Pakistan flinched. He knew that she had a point. None of the others had shared with them what they had discovered. They didn't know if more nations had been found dead. And then there was the underlying fear that the search party might have died.

"I'll be fine, I promise," Pakistan said. "The one I'm meeting with wouldn't hurt a fly. I promise."

Afghanistan glared at him.

"Just let her tag along," Uzbekistan said tiredly. "You know that, once she has a plan in her mind, she won't back down."

Pakistan shook his head.

"I can't," he said. "Look, I have my phone with me. You can call me in an hour to make sure I'm still alive, if that's what you're worried about."

Golden eyes narrowed further. He was surprised they could still narrow. He knew that he needed to switch tactics.

"Larmina, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you're in love with me," he joked.

She sputtered, her face growing red.

"Don't be ridiculous!" she snapped. "We're siblings! That would never work!"

"We're nations. Human rules and our rules are not the same. It's not a taboo for people like _us_ ," he taunted.

"Shut up! Shut up! Shut _up_! Fine! Go ahead with your meeting!"

Afghanistan then spun around, storming off in a huff. Pakistan had to suppress his chuckle.

"She's right, you know," Kazakhstan said. "We're all worried about this."

"I'll be fine," Pakistan insisted. "Really."

…

Canada tensed when he realised that there were other nations approaching, and he looked towards Quebec. The province seemed to understand what was being said, for he removed his weapon again. The two took nervous steps…

Only for the two approaching nations to round the corner.

The Canadians relaxed when they realised that it was Poland and Lithuania.

"There you are," Lithuania said in evident relief. "Why didn't you respond?"

"Sorry," Canada said. "We were dealing with Libya. He had Olivier hostage."

The two Europeans glanced towards Quebec.

"Like, how did you break free?" Poland asked.

"It's surprisingly easy to get under his skin," Canada said. "Imane was right when she said that he's sensitive about his looks."

The other two shrugged. While it might have been a dirty trick, the ends justified the means, and it wasn't _too_ harmful.

"Come on," Poland said. "Like, Tino is safe too. He met up with Eritrea."

"I heard," Canada said. "And I think we should get out of here."

Canada was a bit disappointed that they hadn't seen any sign of Bosnia. He knew that Serbia would want to save his brother, and if they could have rescued Bosnia _now_ , then they wouldn't have to go through the whole process of finding him and trying to rescue him.

If only there was a way to check.

"Come on," Lithuania said, giving Canada a sympathetic look.

Canada nodded. He knew that the older nation knew what was going through his head. The group then started to make their ways to the entrance.

…

Seborga was watching the group of Alvora nations leaving from outside, covered in a thick white coat with a white cap. He knew that he needed to report this to his brothers, but he wanted to see who was involved.

The fact that they managed to walk out told him that Libya and Eritrea had failed. Well, it wasn't a complete failure.

They were leaving with two nations that had been locked in the Washroom for nearly a week. Greenland had admitted that she hadn't really run any tests on them. Their progress would be interesting to see.

He also noticed that DRC had been killed inside. It was good. Death had been a great tool to use in the past.

He was pleased to see that Uganda didn't suffer the same fate, though. Considering his lobotomy, death would have rectified it, and it would have made the process questionable.

It was a shame they wouldn't be able to see how Alvora discovered what had happened to the Africans. But it was time to work on the remaining nations.

It was also disappointing that they had lost their guinea pig. Oh well. They would just have to get someone new.

There had actually been a broadcast earlier – a text sent out to every member of Requiem. It was to capture a member of Alvora and send them to the Washroom. They wanted to see what their minds would reveal.

Well, the nations of Alvora currently at the Washroom weren't possible. That was what Libya and Eritrea were supposed to do. But now, only Seborga, Faroe and Greenland remained. They weren't fools. They knew that, if the other two couldn't manage the Alvora nations, then the regions and the micronation didn't stand a chance.

They would try again another time.

…

Greece and Romano were in Greece's bedroom, the smaller male simply lying on top of the larger's chest. Greece smiled fondly as he played with Romano's hair, being mindful of the curl.

The two looked up when Italy entered, an annoyed expression on his face.

"I'm starting to really hate Alvora," he said.

Romano sighed, pushing himself up with his arms.

"What happened this time?" Romano asked.

"They infiltrated the Washroom," Italy said, "and got away, along with three prisoners."

Romano cursed, anger mirroring his brother's annoyance.

"What were those guys _doing_?" he demanded.

"They managed to take down Eritrea and Libya," Italy said. "We'll hear their explanation when they wake up. The others decided that it would be too risky to engage. However, Greenland _did_ hit them with the Obliti."

Romano sighed in relief. The Obliti was a combination of science and magic. It was a small sphere that released a frequency to invoke amnesia, specifically for something specific, such as the location of the Washroom. It also released a gas, which was a potion created by Ireland and Egypt, that also induced focused amnesia and spread its effects to those they came in contact with. Everyone from Requiem was dosed to be resistant to that sphere.

"So, we had Alvora nations _at_ the Washroom, but they're not captured," Romano said. "Fuck, we were so close."

"It wouldn't have helped anyway," Greece said. "The rest of them would have known where they were. Even if we _could_ capture them, it would have been a matter of time before Portugal sent someone else to rescue them."

Romano sighed.

"You're right," he said. "We need to find someone that's all on their own. Someone that they wouldn't immediately notice is missing. And by doing so, give them some time to scramble around for their location."

Italy nodded.

"We just have a slight disadvantage," he said. "They know pretty much everyone involved with us, but I get the feeling that there are still members that _we_ don't know about."

"Then maybe we should do what Portugal did to us," Romano said. "Break into his homes and see if he has any files on his members."

"We can also ask Belarus to help out," Greece said. "She should be able to find a clue."

"Good idea," Italy said. "And in the meantime, we'll need to get more guards at the Washroom."

…

There was a large flash near a waterfall, though no one was there to see it. A number of figures appeared, two of them dead. Lithuania looked around.

"What is this place?" he asked.

"It's a base that Anika's been working on," Romania explained. "Not even Themba knew about it."

Lithuania blinked, before looking around. He thought he saw a splash nearby, but upon further examination dismissed it as his imagination.

"In case you're wondering, there's a mermaid protecting this place," Romania continued. "The Africans are on their way here, and Anika gave me the location of this place in case we succeeded in our mission."

The group followed after Romania, who had been given the instructions of entrance. And once they were inside, Lithuania could understand why White hadn't told anyone about this before.

The place was seemingly still a work in progress. The ground and walls were still rough, and it still had an earthy smell. Rooms, at least, were created, and while there were beds, there wasn't any bedding. Not even pillows.

DRC and Tunisia were deposited on two of the beds while they searched around.

"Definitely still a work in progress," Finland said.

"So, are we just going to wait for them?" Poland asked.

"We don't really have another choice," Romania sighed. " _Someone_ needs to stay here."

"I will," Lithuania said. "With Gilbert still with France's group, I've got nothing better to do. And Tino can team up with Feliks now."

Romania looked around, as though verifying that this would be fine with the others. They all nodded their assent, and he nodded as well.

"Alright," he said. "Then I'll take the rest of you back now."

…

Bangladesh was seriously worried about India. He would like to help, but the bullet had hit him in the thigh, near the knee joint. It wasn't a random shot, but one made with skilled precision. He couldn't help India.

India was at a disadvantage against South's twin swords. It took all his best efforts to block one and dodge the other. India was on the defensive, and he's already received a few nicks while South remained unharmed.

Of course, Bangladesh knew that India was only keeping South busy while Myanmar went to get Tibet. Bhutan wasn't there, and neither was Nepal.

However… Finding out that South Korea and Nepal were an item might be a good sign. Perhaps, if they succeeded in subduing and capturing South, they might be able to negotiate Bhutan's release.

But the way they were going now, it was impossible. India had no hope at the moment of subduing South, and Myanmar was still focused on finding and rescuing Tibet. Bangladesh was focusing all his energy on healing the wound, but it was slow work.

And to make matters worse, South was only toying with India.

If South Korea was like this, then Bangladesh was worried about running into the other Requiem nations.

…

France was nervously watching as Mongolia led Andorra into a state of hypnosis. Of course, France himself had to focus on not succumbing to the hypnosis. The music that Hong Kong had found for Mongolia proved to be very relaxing, and Mongolia's voice wasn't helping matters.

"Slowly, you can feel your shoulders getting heavy…" Mongolia's voice droned.

The only good thing about this was that Andorra seemed to be in a state of deep relaxation. His breath was deep and even, and if he didn't know better, then he would have assumed that Andorra was asleep.

Of course, he knew that Andorra wasn't asleep. He was dangerous to share a bed with. France learned that the hard way when they were younger and Andorra wanted to have brotherly comfort.

He actually had that in common with Spain. Of course, France had figured out what to give Spain before bed in order to reduce the sleep-boxing. He just hadn't managed it with Andorra.

France tuned out the hypnosis session and turned to China. The other was watching Mongolia closely, and it was clear that he still didn't trust him. Well, considering the history between the two, it wasn't too surprising. There was also the timing of Mongolia's arrival.

He arrived soon after they learned of a group conspiring to conquer the world, and who had also showed that they were willing to use lethal force. And then he told them about a second group – which turned out to be correct. And he listed the names of everyone involved in both groups.

"You walk through a long corridor," Mongolia continued, and France turned his attention back then. "This is the corridor of your mind. You will see many doors. Each door represents a memory. Which doors do you feel are safe to enter, and which would you rather avoid?"

France shook his head. He wondered if this would really work.

"Finally, you find a door that's not like the others," Mongolia continued. "You feel something strange from this door. You try it, but it's locked. Now you should grow aware of a weight against your chest. It is the key to the door. Carefully, you take the key and unlock the door."

Mongolia was silent for a moment, and Andorra let out a deep breath that almost seemed like a sigh.

"The room is still dark, so you have to enter it," Mongolia said. "You have to turn on the light."

"Does this really work?" France whispered to China.

"Depending on how susceptible he is, yes," China whispered back.

"You see a hidden part of your life play out in front of you," Mongolia said. "You are looking at it from the outside. You see yourself. What are you wearing? What are you doing? Where are you? Pay close attention to these details."

For a while, Mongolia was silent. And then France saw it: Andorra's fingers started twitching.

"Remember, you are safe," Mongolia said. "You can stop this at any time."

Despite the reassurance, France could see that Andorra was becoming distressed. His hands kept spasming, and his face was twisted in alarm. His breathing had become rapid, and he kept shaking his head.

"Stop now," China said. "Something is wrong."

"Not yet," Mongolia said. "Listen closely. Do you see anyone? Pay attention to your surroundings."

Andorra continued to shake his head, but France noticed that his lips were faintly moving. France started to move closer.

"What are you doing?" China asked.

"I'm trying to hear what he's saying," France explained.

He knelt down next to Andorra and listened closely.

"Ballo di mezzanotte," Andorra whispered.

France reeled back, confused by the random phrase. The only reason why he didn't immediately dismiss it was because it was in Italian. Andorra kept whispering it, growing more and more distressed.

"We need to snap him out of it," China said immediately.

"Right," Mongolia said. "You slowly back out of the room. You run back down the corridor, going towards the entrance you used to reach the corridor. You run up the stairs, leaving your subconscious and returning to consciousness."

An entire minute passed, but it didn't seem as though Andorra was waking up. France turned to the two Asians, and even Mongolia looked nervous.

"We need to wake him up, _now_!" China snapped.

Mongolia nodded, and all three nations started trying to wake Andorra up. Eventually his eyes snapped open, and he let out a scream.

"Calm down," France said, wrapping Andorra in a hug. "You're safe now. Whatever they did to you, it's over."

France was concerned when Andorra seemed to be struck by a seizure. He held the other firmly, trying to calm him. He heard the door open and some of the others storm in.

"What's going on?" Spain asked, rushing over to join France and Andorra.

"I think he remembers," France said.

The two of them held Andorra as they waited for him to calm down. Once the seizure was finished, Andorra clung onto France's shirt and started to cry.

…

Myanmar sighed in relief when he saw Tibet, tied against a pillar. He could see that he was burned in a few places, but it looked as though he was going to recover soon. He went to him and started to untie the rope, which appeared to have survived the fire. Either that, or South had tied him with new rope.

Myanmar was startled by a gasp, and turned to Tibet. He still appeared to be unconscious, but now he knew that he was alive.

"Come on," Myanmar said gently, picking up Tibet. "We're going to get you to safety."

He looked up when he heard a pained scream, and he recognised the voice as India's. Gritting his teeth, he started to run back to the others.

…

India winced in pain as South removed the sword from his abdomen, and he stepped back for a moment to recover. But South didn't give him the chance, and lunged again.

India managed to block the first sword, but the second one pierced his chest on the right. He grunted, knowing that his lung had been pierced. South used that moment to stab him on the left side with the other sword.

"Don't worry," South said. "I'm not going to kill you. There are others who have use of you."

India tried to raise his weapon, but the blood loss was already affecting him. South pulled his swords out and kicked him to the ground, before turning his attention to Bangladesh.

"Time to tie up loose ends," he muttered, stalking to Bangladesh.

India tried to stop him, but by now he had lost too much blood, and as black spots danced across his vision, he knew that he had failed.

…

Pakistan sighed as he sat down at the café. It was his idea to meet somewhere public. He didn't entirely trust the sudden meeting, or the request to be alone, despite what he told the others.

"Oh, there you are," a familiar voice said. "I hope you haven't been waiting long."

Pakistan turned around and smiled to the one he was meeting, but the smile turned into a confused frown. He was only supposed to be meeting up with Palestine, but oddly, she was accompanied by Egypt and… Peru?

 **Regarding Mongolia's hypnosis… I've done a few sessions of self-hypnosis, and I tried to draw on my recollections. It's been a while, to be honest.**


	47. Chapter 46

**Thanks to AquaEclipse for reviewing.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 46**

Israel was taking a long gulp of his coffee when a sudden flash of light interrupted him. He choked a bit on the coffee, trying to take a breath. When he finally succeeded, he glared at the new arrivals.

"Was that completely necessary?" he demanded.

"Sorry, David," Canada said. "Is Damjan awake yet?"

Israel sighed, before shaking his head. Canada ran out of the room, and he turned his attention to Romania.

"I take it your mission was a success," he said.

"We managed to get Tunisia, DRC and Uganda," Romania said. "However, Tunisia was dead – temporarily – when we found him, and DRC was killed in action – also temporary, and… Uganda was lobotomised."

Israel blinked several times as he absorbed those words.

"Lobotomised?" he asked. "For what purpose?"

"No idea," Romania admitted. "But I don't like this at all. We have no idea what state they'd be in when they recover. And Toris is now alone with them."

"Why?"

"The Africans are on their way to that location. It's a base in the middle of the Karoo. Anyway, I need to go."

Israel watched as Romania disappeared, before turning to the others. He noticed a new face among the group and cocked his head to the side.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"Svalbard," Åland explained. "Norway sent Tino to his place, and he kind of got roped into this."

Israel nodded his head in understanding.

…

"Anyway, thanks for meeting us," Palestine said.

By now, everyone was seated with drinks in front of them. Pakistan was idly sipping his drink as he looked at the unusual trio.

"I can kind of understand why Egypt and Palestine are together," Pakistan remarked. "The one that confuses me is Peru."

"Oh, they're together," Palestine said, slumping a bit. "As in, _together_."

Pakistan choked on his drink. It took a moment for him to regain his breath, and he looked between the two.

"What?" he demanded.

"I know," Palestine said. "I reacted pretty much the same way you did."

"Except _you_ didn't choke," Peru said, a smirk on his face.

Pakistan looked between Egypt and Peru. He was trying to wrap his mind around the pairing, and he _supposed_ their similar archaeological histories would act as a common ground between them. But…

"It's bizarre, I know," Egypt said. "Allow me to explain."

Pakistan listened as Egypt explained how they were part of an organisation that was going to change the world. Restore the former empires. Take revenge on all that had wronged them. And as part of it, they eliminated some of the strongest nations.

Pakistan's eyes widened when he heard that they were the ones responsible for killing Germany, Japan and England, and also America.

"And are you also responsible for the Africans cutting their ties?" he asked, specifically looking at Egypt.

The other nation winced at that.

"No," he said. "There is another group. They call themselves Alvora. They're a thorn in our sides."

"And… based on what you told me, why should I root for you and not for them?" Pakistan asked.

" _We_ didn't conquer most of a continent in a single day," Peru said.

That was a valid point, actually.

"They have North Korea on their side," Egypt said.

Pakistan shuddered. He'd had his fair share of North Korea at Asian meetings, and didn't find the other male to be pleasant. And that wasn't even considering all of the trouble caused by his government.

"…There's one thing that's bothering me," Pakistan said. "Why are you telling _me_?"

"We're recruiting you," Palestine said simply.

Pakistan stared at her for a long moment.

"Why?" he asked. "Why do you want _me_?"

"Israel is part of Alvora," Palestine said. "And I want to grind his bones in the dust."

"It still doesn't explain why you want _me_ to join you."

"You know how these two are together? Well, Israel is in a relationship with India."

Pakistan froze. Israel and India? And… If Israel was part of that group, what did it mean regarding India?

"Alright," he said. "You have my attention."

…

Afghanistan's breath hitched. She had been worried about Pakistan, and so had followed him. She used her reconnaissance abilities to stay hidden. And it's one reason why the burka is useful. Like Pakistan, she was confused when she saw who came, but after hearing what they had to say, she was filled with dread.

Something like that… It wasn't good. Afghanistan wasn't one of the young nations. She'd had a lot of political upheavals and changes over her long lifetime. Something like what they were suggesting, and on this scale…

How much destruction and death would follow?

And what terrified her was the fact that, as soon as he heard India was involved, Pakistan appeared to be interested. He was _considering_ this.

She couldn't let this happen, but she knew that she couldn't stop them. She couldn't interrupt their meeting. She already heard that they were willing and able to use lethal force. What would they do to her if they discovered that she was spying on them?

And what would _Pakistan_ do?

The best she could do was warn someone. Someone that could stop them. And someone who _knew_ about what was going on.

And someone who would be directly affected.

She pulled out her phone, searching for a number she didn't often dial, but had saved it out of necessity.

"Israel, it's Afghanistan," she said. "There's something you need to know."

…

"I can't believe they told us to go to Romania's house," Czechia said.

"Well, they didn't really have any more business with us, so they needed to move on," Slovakia said. "And you heard about Tunisia."

Czechia winced. Yes, they'd heard about Tunisia. They also heard that it was him that they were rescuing. And they also heard about what happened in Algeria.

And an hour ago, there had been news of a wildfire in Nigeria, that was still spreading. Twenty people had already died. And Sudan had also had a sinkhole that affected a high school. They were still sifting through the wreckage, searching for survivors.

There was definitely _something_ going on, and whatever it was, it wasn't natural. If they needed to be protected, then… Perhaps it _would_ be prudent to go to somewhere they could be protected.

…

Bangladesh let out a cry of alarm when he saw India drop, and he tensed when he saw South stalking towards him. He gritted his teeth, before pushing himself to his feet. He tried to run, but the leg injury had him downed within a few steps.

South smirked at his efforts.

"Nice try," he said.

"S-stop!" India shouted weakly.

Bangladesh saw him trying to get up, but it was clear that he lost too much blood. South turned back to India and cocked his head to the side.

"Don't worry," South said. "It's not permanent. I'm sure we can find someone else that wants to play with him."

He turned back to Bangladesh and raised one of his swords. Bangladesh tried to remove his own weapon, if only to defend himself, but South moved faster.

The last thing Bangladesh was aware of was a sharp pain in his neck.

…

Myanmar rushed over towards India and Bangladesh's location, Tibet held in his arms. He skidded to a stop when he saw South decapitate Bangladesh. He had to hold in his scream, because even though it couldn't permanently kill them, it was still horrifying to see.

India was also downed, though it didn't seem as though he was dead yet. But judging by the pool of blood, he wouldn't have long to stay awake.

India turned towards Myanmar, and he didn't know how he knew that he was there. India mouthed something to Myanmar, and it took him a while to realise what he was trying to say.

 _Run_.

Myanmar hesitated, but considering the state of the other two, he knew that he didn't stand much of a chance. He turned and started to run, but the sound of a gunshot rang through the air, and a second later he fell to the ground, fiery pain piercing his back. He also felt guilty that he was crushing Tibet, but there were more important things to worry about.

"You're not going anywhere," South said, before a second gunshot rang through the air.

…

Israel frowned when he heard what Afghanistan had to say. He knew that she wouldn't lie about this. And she wouldn't throw Pakistan under the bus.

"You need to pretend that you don't know anything," Israel instructed. "Keep an eye on Pakistan, and if he does anything, let me know."

"…Alright," she said. "But… How do I know that I can trust you?"

"Why would you call me?"

"Because it seems like they're going to make things personal for you. It's not how nations are supposed to work. And I don't exactly want a group of murderers to win."

"I see. Thank you. Now, get out of there, before they realise you're spying on them. And don't tell the others. You could only be causing trouble for them."

"But… Alright. I just… I just need to stay to see if Pakistan decides to join them."

"Trust me, you'll know if he joins. If he doesn't, the odds of him going home would be slim."

He could hear Afghanistan's breath hitch on the other side.

"…I see," she whispered. "Alright. We'll talk about this properly soon."

She hung up the phone, and he quickly dialled someone else.

"David, what's wrong?" Portugal asked.

"Afghanistan just called me," Israel explained. "Pakistan's being recruited by Requiem. They already have Palestine. They're meeting at a café, and Afghanistan followed Pakistan. I told her to get away from there. There's no telling what they'd do to her."

"But Pakistan is pretty fond of Afghanistan. She's most likely his favourite sibling. They wouldn't do something to her if they want him."

"Egypt is one of the nations involved. With his magic, there's no telling what he'd be able to do. And… From what Afghanistan told me, they're talking about targeting Raj to get to me."

"…I see. Have you tried calling him yet?"

"He went to rescue Tibet. I'm afraid of calling and he's in a dangerous situation. If I ended up distracting him when he can't afford to be distracted…"

"I understand. I felt the same with Vlad being gone. They managed to get Tunisia, along with DRC and Uganda."

"That's good news."

"Anyway, thanks for telling me that they've been recruiting. And _who_. I'll ask Vlad to check on Raj."

"Thank you," Israel breathed, his voice not rising above the sigh of relief.

Israel hung up the call, before he buried his head in his hands. First Palestine, now Pakistan. Nations that specifically didn't like either him or India. They were going for those that would have a grudge against them.

Was Requiem doing it with the other nations as well? If they were recruiting the nations against them…

To make matters worse, he had a sinking feeling in his stomach that wouldn't go away. It was similar to worry, but more intense. As though he had a _reason_ to be worried. And the only thing that could cause that…

"Raj, please be safe," he muttered.

…

Italy's eyes flitted to his phone, sitting next to him on the desk. The screen showed that South Korea was calling him. Now what?

He sighed, pressing the 'accept' button and bringing the phone up to his ear.

"You _better_ have good news for me," he said.

"As a matter of fact, I do," South said. "India, along with Bangladesh and Myanmar, came to save Tibet. They failed."

Italy perked up.

"Really?" he asked. "What about those three?"

"They're out of commission for a while," South said. "I took the liberty of securing them. It'll take a few hours before they wake up. But what do you want to do with them?"

Italy smirked.

"We can send Myanmar and Bangladesh to the Washroom," he said. "The others lost two recruits, so they could use two more. And as for India… Egypt told me that Palestine has a plan for him. He's the key to Israel, after all. And while we'd like one of them to be in the Washroom… I'm sure Palestine would want him. So, why don't you call and find out what they'd be willing to do to him?"

South chuckled.

"Sounds like a plan," he said. "A very _fun_ plan."

…

Andorra was seated between France and Spain, cradling a cup of tea. He was still trembling, the memories that flooded his mind still fresh.

"Alright, so we know that _something_ happened," China said. "We still don't know _what_."

"But what are we going to _do_ about it?" Russia asked.

"I think we've done enough today," Spain said darkly. "Nicolás is still shaking."

Andorra flinched when France placed his hand on his shoulder, rubbing soothing circles.

"He's still a nation," Russia said. "He's seen his fair share of war, death, torture… Surely, whatever they did to him couldn't be _that_ bad."

"Ivan!" Ukraine scolded. "He's still young! And that was _not_ the way to…"

"They're worse," Andorra said, his voice weak. "I can't… I don't want…"

Andorra burst into tears, and he hated that the others were seeing his weakness, but the things he remembered… the horrors… It would have been better had they never tried to get him to remember.

"You were muttering something," China said. "What…?"

"We are not doing this now!" France snapped. "Give him time to breathe!"

China shrank back, and he lowered his gaze.

"…I'm sorry," he said softly. "But if it's something that could be dangerous…"

"There were others," Andorra said. "Others who went through the same thing. I can't… I can't remember their faces. But there are others. Others that forgot. Others that…"

Andorra's breath hitched, and he shook his head. Everyone was silent for a moment.

"What are we going to do now?" Estonia asked.

"I think we should get more nations involved," China said. "We need to warn as many people as possible. Starting with the rest of the G20."

"Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Australia," France said. "And because of the current situation… We need to tell Australia to bring New Zealand along. We can't leave New Zealand alone with the other island nations."

"Da," Russia sighed. "That seems like the best idea at the moment."

Mongolia still looked uncomfortable, but he didn't _dare_ say anything. He was clearly feeling guilty about the state Andorra found himself in.

Andorra winced as he felt another headache assaulting him. This time, he could clearly hear the voices speaking to him.

 _Forget who you are. Forget what you are. Your life belongs to Requiem. Your soul belongs to Requiem. What you want is unimportant. Discard all joy. Discard all thought. You exist only for Requiem._

"…Nicolás?" France's voice interrupted the other voices.

Andorra shook himself, and he realised that everyone was watching him.

"You zoned out," Hong Kong said. "Are you okay?"

Andorra flinched, before averting his gaze.

"I can't stay here," Andorra said. "I'll just… What they did to me…" He glanced between France and Spain. "I'll end up hurting you."

"But you can't be on your own," France said. "If they happened to find you…"

Andorra shuddered, only imagining what would happen if he ended up in their clutches again.

"You muttered a phrase in Italian," France continued. "It didn't make sense, but… if it's a trigger phrase…"

"Then we'll just need to make sure he doesn't hear that phrase," China said simply. "Italian, right? We just keep him away from any Italian."

"It was something about a 'midnight dance'. I don't think it would come up under normal circumstances."

At the words 'midnight dance', Andorra experienced another headache, and he cried out at the intensity. He doubled over as he clutched his head.

"Nicolás!" Spain exclaimed. "Are you alright?"

Spain's words were muffled, and Andorra wasn't even sure if he spoke. There was a shrill ringing in his ears, but he knew that it couldn't be blocked.

An image flashed in his mind. The Italian family – Italy, Romano, Vatican, San Marino, Malta, and even Seborga. And Malta was turned towards someone else. Someone that Andorra had seen at the place where he was imprisoned. A fellow prisoner.

And just like that, it was over. He blinked in surprise, wondering why he was lying down. As he was staring at the ceiling, he noticed a blurry, blue and yellow figure come into view. It took him a moment to realise that he was looking up at France.

"Are you alright?" France asked worriedly.

"Tired," he muttered, his voice slurring.

"What happened?" Latvia asked.

Andorra closed his eyes.

"I saw someone else," he said. "Someone that they took there to be… To become their tool. Albania."

"Did Albania bring someone?" Prussia asked.

Andorra closed his eyes, before shaking his head.

"Non," he said. " _They_ brought _Albania_."

Everyone was silent for a moment as they processed this information.

"But… Albania's one of their members," Mongolia said.

"Unless…" Russia said. "Did this place put thoughts in your head?"

Andorra shuddered, but he nodded.

"Brainwashing," China said, eyes widening in realisation. "What are the chances that some of their own members were brainwashed to be part of them?"

"It's possible," Mongolia said. "That _would_ explain how so many of them were convinced to follow. Especially since Requiem isn't too fond of 'no'."

"Those bastards!" Prussia exclaimed furiously.

More than ever, Andorra knew that he needed to get away from the others. Before Requiem influenced him to do something to France and Spain – people he cared about.

…

Egypt's eyes glittered as he smiled, phone pressed against his ear. Peru had his head cocked the side, while Palestine and Pakistan were perturbed.

"That's great news," he said. "I'll be sure to share it."

He hung up the phone, before he crossed his arms on the table and leaned on them.

"I have news that would interest the two of you," he said. "India was captured by South Korea. So, Pakistan, what's your answer?"


	48. Chapter 47

**Thanks to AquaEclipse for reviewing.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 47**

"You've got to be kidding me," Saudi Arabia said. "You want me to come to France's house? Why?"

"It's important," China said. "Simply put, it's a G20 meeting. It's in regards to what happened to Japan and the others."

Saudi pursed his lips, mulling things over. Well, he _had_ been hoping to hear from China and the others, but first…

"What exactly happened to America?" Saudi asked.

There was silence for a brief moment.

"He was murdered," China admitted at last.

Saudi exhaled sharply. He'd actually expected something like this.

"Why didn't you tell anyone after discovering that fact?" he demanded.

"It's… complicated," China said. "But it's one of the things we intend to explain. Just note that you're one of the few nations we can trust."

Saudi blinked, not having expected China to say something like that.

"…How soon do you want me to come?" he asked.

"Take your time," China said. "We'll have to wait for Australia to come anyway."

"Of course. Wait… Why only Australia? He's not the only one that's far away."

"Like I said, it's complicated. We'll explain everything once you come here."

Saudi sighed. He could tell that an answer wouldn't be forthcoming until he actually went to France to find out what was happening.

"Fine," he said. "I'm on my way."

…

Belize jumped when someone knocked on his door. He wasn't expecting anyone, and he couldn't sense one of his citizens.

He made his way towards the door, and he blinked in surprise when he saw Argentina and Mexico on the other side.

"Rosa," he said. "Argentina. What are you doing here?"

Argentina looked a bit annoyed that he didn't address her by her human name, but he didn't know her well enough to do so. Thankfully, Mexico stepped forward.

"Do you mind if we come inside?" she asked.

"Um, sure," he said, stepping aside to allow the two female nations to enter. "Have you heard about what happened in America?"

"Si," Mexico said distractedly. "All of the states broke apart and became independent."

"Didn't you want Texas, California and New Mexico back? I'm sure you could have convinced them to join you. Some of the former states are having trouble getting started."

Mexico chuckled, and Belize was a bit confused at the tone.

"That would definitely be something," she mused. "And not a bad idea."

Belize regretted having said that. He led the two to the living room, before clapping his hands.

"Would you two like some coffee?" he asked.

"That doesn't sound bad," Argentina said, looking towards Mexico.

"After our long flight, coffee would be heavenly," Mexico agreed.

Belize nodded his head, before heading towards the kitchen. He tried not to look at the walls, floor or ceiling. He quickly poured water in the kettle before turning it on, searching for some mugs.

He tried to ignore the shadows, but considering everything cast a shadow, it was impossible. He was a bit disturbed by the movements, and tried to ignore the whisperings.

It was as he placed the mugs on the counter that he heard it clearly.

 _Don't trust them!_

He jumped in surprise, looking around the room. The shadows were darker, moving in tandem with each other.

 _Don't trust them!_

He pressed his hands on his ears. He wanted the shadows to return to the way they were before. Silent, and grey.

He quickly made the coffee before he returned to the female nations, who were calmly looking at the room's décor.

"Sorry for taking so long," he said, placing the tray he'd prepared on the coffee table.

"Oh don't worry," Mexico said, already doctoring the coffee to her liking. "We're not in a hurry."

 _Don't trust them!_

He shuddered. He tried to ignore the shadows. This wasn't natural. And besides, he'd always been taught to not trust anything lurking in shadows.

"So…" Belize said, sitting down. "To what do I owe this visit?"

"It's about the shadows," Argentina said.

Belize froze. They knew about the shadows? Wait… Did it mean that they knew how to get the shadows to behave normally again?

 _Don't trust them!_

He winced. This time, the voices were a lot louder, almost screaming at him. He hoped that they _did_ know how to help him.

"They're bothering you, aren't they?" Mexico asked. "We can help."

"How?" he asked, grimacing in pain. His head was starting to hurt from the shadows.

"We can make sure that the shadows obey _you_ ," Argentina said. "And that they don't try to _control_ you."

 _Mexico killed America._

That particular whisper caught his attention, and he turned his gaze to the side. He could see a shadow shifting, and he realised that it was Mexico's. And inside the shadow, he could see her gunning down America. He could see her…

He wrenched his gaze away, trying to unsee what he had just seen. The shadows were lying. They weren't real.

"…I can see the shadows are bothering you," Mexico said. "This is all because of Alvora."

"Al… Alvora?" he repeated. The word sounded unusual.

"They're a group that's been operating in the shadows," Argentina said. "They're the ones responsible for killing America."

 _America's death isn't public knowledge!_

Belize paused when he heard that. It was true. The shadows told him about America's death, and showed him something related to it, with Mexico being the one responsible. But no official news had come. Only that the American states became independent entities.

"…Alvora is the reason why the shadows are bothering you," Argentina said. "We can help."

 _Lies!_

"H-how do you know that America is dead?" Belize asked. "And _how_ did he die?"

"We went to investigate," Mexico said. "America was shot to death."

Warning bells rang in Belize's mind. He knew that China's group had gone to check on America because he wasn't at the meeting. _If_ Mexico and Argentina had investigated beforehand, then _why_ didn't they announce America's death when England, Germany and Japan's deaths were announced? They were still waiting for news from China and the others about America's fate.

He knew that they weren't lying about America's death, since that was the only reason why all of the states would gain independence at the same time. But the rest of their claims…

 _They're lying!_

…He was starting to believe the shadows.

"C-could you ladies please excuse me?" he asked, standing up.

"I know, it's a lot to take in," Mexico said. "But we're telling you the truth."

"I just need a moment," he said in a breath, before he walked away.

He waited until he was out of the room and out of sight before he rushed towards the kitchen. He left through the backdoor, knowing that he needed to get away. Both the shadows and his instincts were screaming at him to escape.

Pain exploded in his skull, and he fell to the ground. He only had enough time to recognise the fact that he was shot in the head before he blacked out.

He should have trusted the shadows sooner.

…

Argentina and Mexico followed after Belize, Mexico's pistol still smoking from when she shot her neighbour. The two looked down at him in disappointment.

"You should have just believed us," Mexico said. "Do you think the shadows warned him?"

"It would have been annoying," Argentina said. "But possible. So, he does not have the power to _control_ the shadows yet, but they can communicate with him. This is going to be tricky."

"We'll take him to the Washroom. I'm sure _they_ would know of a good way to keep him in line."

…

"You want me to come to France's house?" Turkey repeated, phone pressed against his ear.

"That's right," Spain said. "We have a bit of a situation, and we need to get the remaining members of the G20."

"…What about the G13? We already know the G7 is a bit… thinned out, but…"

"It's complicated. Please, just come along. Oh, and bring Cyprus with you. It might be safer to have him with us."

"…'Safer'? Spain, what the hell is going on?"

"I don't want to discuss it on the phone, so _please_."

Turkey sighed.

"Alright," he said. "But I expect to hear an explanation when I get there."

"Thank you," Spain sighed in relief.

Turkey would _definitely_ find out what was going on. But first, he'd have to call the Cyprus brothers.

…

Serbia groaned as he opened his eyes. He was still exhausted, and his body felt heavy. But he could smell the distinct scent of Canada around him.

"Damjan!" a familiar voice called out in concern. "How are you feeling?"

Serbia turned his head to see Canada sitting on a chair next to the bed.

"Tired," he said. "What happened?"

"Slovenia and Bulgaria," Canada said. "They shot you, and you passed out from blood loss. You were out all night, and most of the day."

Serbia's eyes widened, and he let out a curse under his breath.

"I'm sorry for worrying you," he said.

Canada gave a small smile.

"I guess we're even now," he said.

"Still…" Serbia said, frowning. "To think that I was asleep for so long from being shot in the thigh… Just how strong _are_ those bullets?"

"I don't think it's the strength we need to worry about. I think we need to worry about what's _in_ it to affect a nation like that."

"What happened when I was asleep?"

Canada looked a bit uncomfortable, and Serbia frowned.

"Matthew…" he said warningly.

"I kind of went on a rescue mission to…" he started, before he stopped. "To… Where did I go again?"

Serbia could see that Canada looked confused and worried. He genuinely forgot where he went to.

"I need to call Miguel," Canada said. "Something's weird."

…

Australia sighed, phone pressed to his ear.

"That means I have to leave right away, right?" he asked.

"Unfortunately," Hong Kong said. "Sorry."

"It's fine. Nothing much is happening here. But… Why do you want me to bring Kiwi along?"

"There's a reason for this, but I can't tell you over the phone. It's _really_ important. You also shouldn't tell him anything that might worry him. Just say that they want to speak about the Oceanic nations to the two of you."

"…But that's a lie, isn't it?"

"Please, I can't really say much."

Australia was silent for a moment. He had to admit, New Zealand had been acting strangely lately. Then there was the fact that Kiribati refused to get close to him. There was definitely _something_ going on with his brother. He might as well try to find out what was going on.

"Alright," he said. "I'll go, and I'll take him with me. We're leaving right now."

"Thank you," Hong Kong Said. "I'll tell China and the others."

"It _must_ be serious if you're willing to play messenger," Australia joked.

"You have _no_ idea."

…

Portugal listened to Canada, a frown on his face. Romania was lounging nearby, a worried look on his face.

"Are you sure about it?" he asked.

"I can't remember where we went to," Canada said. "Nothing."

Portugal was also drawing a blank when he tried to remember where they had gone earlier in the day. It was worrying.

"…Can you think of anything happening in particular to cause something like that?" Portugal asked.

"Nothing from my side," Canada said. "I'll ask Svalbard or Hannes."

"I'll wait," Portugal said.

He could tell that Canada placed the call on hold, and he sighed, before turning to Romania.

"Do _you_ remember where you went to this morning?" Portugal asked.

Romania opened his mouth, before closing it again, a confused frown on his face.

"No," he said. "I remember that it was cold, but… _where_ it was, or what it looked like…" Romania was silent for a moment, before looking back up. "I think they managed to cast a spell. I can definitely tell that there's magic involved."

Portugal pursed his lips, before he heard Canada's breath on the other side.

"They said that they ran into two of the members," Canada explained. "Neither of them can remember who they were, but they said that they threw a ball or something that released some sort of gas."

"And Vlad said that magic is involved," Portugal said. "Anyway, thanks. It would seem that they're determined that we not remember their location. It must have been a _very_ important place."

"Sorry…"

"It's not your fault. We found the place once, we can do it again."

He hung up the call, before turning to Romania.

"Apparently, some of Requiem's members threw something at Hannes and Svalbard," Portugal said. "Any way for a spell to spread like a disease?"

"A few," Romania admitted. "It's really problematic."

"Any luck with Raj?"

Romania winced, before averting his eyes.

"…He's in definite danger," he said. "But I don't know how bad it is."

"…We need to find out where he is, and we need to see if we can get him," Portugal said.

"…I'll start working on it," Romania sighed in resignation.

…

Afghanistan had joined the others in the living room, pretending as though she had merely been up in her room the whole time. No one knew that she had left. She hoped.

She, along with the others, looked up when the front door opened, and Pakistan stepped in. He looked to be in high spirits.

"So, your meeting went well?" Uzbekistan asked.

"Pretty well," Pakistan said offhandedly. "And as you can see, I'm still in one piece."

"And considerably happier than you were when you left," Turkmenistan said. "It's actually disturbing."

Pakistan shrugged, before heading to the stairs.

"My boss actually called me back for some important work, so I'll have to leave now," he explained. "But I'll come back as soon as I can."

Afghanistan scowled when she heard that. First of all, _no_ nation was that happy to be called in by their boss. Secondly… She knew about the meeting. The fact that Pakistan was here right now told her that he _did_ accept the offer from Egypt and the others. And more importantly… He seemed _fine_ with it. _Too_ fine.

She was actually disgusted by the whole thing. She didn't have the cleanest history, or political situation, or social climate, but there were _definite_ lines that she didn't want to have to cross. Murder of fellow nations being only one of them.

And there had to be _more_ than murder involved. Otherwise, why would they even bother to recruit Pakistan? They could have managed fine without him.

It was in her nature to demand an explanation, but she knew that she couldn't. She'd heard everything that Requiem had done, or at least what they'd told Pakistan. And Pakistan _still_ decided to join. And she knew that Israel was right. It wouldn't be a good thing if they knew about her knowledge.

But… She still wanted to _try_.

She stood from her seat and followed after Pakistan, the others not even bothering to ask her where she was going. It was obvious. She found him in his room, packing his bags.

"What was the meeting about?" she asked.

Pakistan jumped in surprise, not having expected her at all. He turned around and sighed slightly.

"It's really not something that I can tell you," he said. "I'm sorry, but this is for your own good."

"So… Are you telling me that this is something dangerous? Because you _remember_ why we came together in the first place, right?"

Pakistan shook his head in exasperation.

"I haven't forgotten," he said. "But this is something I _have_ to do. And I've got a bit of good news for you too."

"And what would _that_ be?" she asked dubiously.

"I've found a way to deal with Taliban for good."

Her eyes widened, and to her surprise, he wrapped her in a hug.

"I know how much grief he's been giving you," he said softly. "Especially since you're a woman. But I promise you, I _will_ end it. And then maybe you can smile again."

Instead of smiling, Afghanistan wanted to cry. Knowing that Pakistan was associating with murderers… And the fact that his hatred for India was the reason for this made it even more horrifying.

Afghanistan pulled away from him, and he continued packing his bags. She left him there, and once she returned to her room, she sent a quick text to Israel.

 _Pakistan joined them._

…

"This is seriously an interesting place," Black said, admiring the base. "I don't get why you didn't tell me."

"This is only the garage," White sighed. "This is one of the few places that I've managed to finish."

The group had arrived, and were still a bit awed by the cavernous space – and they were recovering a bit after the way they entered. For a while, they were under the impression that they would be driving into a cliff.

They arrived at the main entrance, and froze when they heard running footsteps. The only ones not surprised were Black and White. The group all relaxed when Lithuania came into view.

"Oh, you've made it," Lithuania said. "Anika, this place is amazing, but we don't have any bedsheets or food."

"I'm going now for the food," she said. "And as for the bedsheets… Have you checked the linen closets?"

"…Oh."

…

Tibet opened his eyes, curious to know what was happening. He didn't want to be tortured anymore, but he was aware of the fact that he was in some sort of vehicle, and he wanted to know what was going on.

His eyes widened when he saw that Myanmar, Bangladesh and India were also there, and they were still a long way from waking up. Just like him, they were all bound and gagged, but he had no idea what they were doing there.

He realised that they were flying – a helicopter or something – and that South Korea was most likely the pilot. But why they were leaving, and where they were going, were things that Tibet didn't want to think about, but the answers were of vital importance.


	49. Chapter 48

**Thanks to AquaEclipse for reviewing.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 48**

Tunisia screamed the moment he regained consciousness. The memories of the hell he went through, along with the pain his body was _still_ in, were the causes of his scream. And the fear that he would be forced to continue with that again.

The door was opened, and he curled up into a ball, sobbing uncontrollably. He didn't want to go through any of that again.

"Asim!" a familiar voice called out. "You're safe! Open your eyes!"

He could feel hands on his shoulder, and he wanted to pull away, but something about the voice compelled him to open his eyes. A light was turned on, and he saw Morocco in front of him, looking at him in concern.

"Imane?" he choked out.

It was also at that point that he realised that he wasn't lying on the cold, hard floor – he was lying on a warm, soft bed. And his sister was there. The sister who _didn't_ cannibalise him.

He was safe.

The thought turned his tears of pain and fear into tears of joy, and he clung onto Morocco as he cried. She ran her fingers through his hair, and it was that action of comfort that reinforced the idea that he was safe.

"What did they do to you?" Morocco whispered, but he knew that she wasn't expecting an answer.

…

"You actually _joined_?" Czechia asked. "As in, you're _members_ now?"

She, Slovakia, Oman and Yemen were gathered together for breakfast. Yemen shrugged, while Oman simply stirred his coffee. The two siblings had arrived at Romania's house the previous day, but they had no idea what would happen.

"Did they _ask_ you to join?" Slovakia asked.

"No," Oman said. "At least, not this century. I knew about them for a while, and they asked me if I wanted to join, but I wasn't interested back then. I still had to keep quiet on their behalf, though."

"Why?" Czechia asked.

"Part of me was curious to know what they would do, while another part thought that they were hopeless dreamers. Finding out that they have a dark counterpart kind of made me realise how serious all of this is."

"I have the opportunity to end my civil war," Yemen said. "I have to say, things have definitely been quieter since I joined them."

"Requiem," Slovakia said. "They're the ones that killed Germany."

"It seemed a bit suspicious at first," Czechia admitted. "I mean, why trust them, you know? But some of the things they told us… We saw evidence of it for ourselves. Like Hungary's attitude towards us."

"…You've heard about Austria, right?" Oman asked.

"Austria?" Czechia and Slovakia repeated.

"The news is full of it. What happened to Germany is happening to Austria. People are starting to wonder if there's a virus affecting the mental state of people."

The two siblings shared a look.

"And…" Slovakia said, "the only one that would be able to get close to Austria would be… Hungary."

They were silent as they mulled things over.

" _Why_ , though?" Czechia asked. "It always seemed as though she really liked him. I mean, they were _married_ , for crying out loud!"

"It was most likely just for the sake of power," Oman sighed. "Either that, or she humoured her bosses. I know that Alvora often let the humans do what they want."

"Not anymore," Portugal's voice said from the doorway, startling everyone present. "Ever since we decided to proceed with our plans, our human governments have been shut down. Everything that's been happening in our countries is done by means of our subconscious wishes."

"How exactly do you do _that_?" Slovakia asked, cocking his head to the side.

"Nations are able to influence their people," Oman said simply. "Just like how _we_ can be influenced by them. It's how Germany's people fell so hard for the Nazi propaganda – they got Germany himself to believe it."

Portugal nodded his head.

"Gilbert tried to tone it down a bit," Portugal said. "But a lot of what happened was because of the propaganda that Germany himself had been fed. David was _not_ happy with him."

"Shouldn't it be harder to do, though?" Yemen asked. "I mean… Shouldn't it require a bit more focus and concentration or…"

"It does," Portugal agreed. "Which is also why we have human agents to help move things along. These are humans that have been personally trained by us to act as our representatives."

"Wait… Are they the ones busy with negotiations?"

"That's right. I hope you don't mind."

Yemen smiled.

"Not at all," he said. "I actually appreciate it. Nice to have competent humans."

"Where would you even find the time to do all of that?" Czechia asked.

"It's a generations-spanning plan," Portugal explained. "Most of the humans I selected were heretics during the Inquisition, both Spain's and my own. I saved their lives and promised them free reign to pursue whatever it is they wish to pursue. A lot of inventors were arrested for heresy, after all. We kept it under wraps, and for that reason we've been able to build a secret industry to help our goals."

"Secret industry?" Slovakia repeated.

"Our official economic reports are what the non-involved humans do. It's great if they knew how to do their jobs, but…"

Oman chuckled.

"You were part of PIGS, if I'm not mistaken," he said.

Portugal grumbled under his breath.

"Sim…" he said at last. "Anyway, we work on our own industries and resources. We're also each other's trade partners to help out with extra business. The Africans have rich mining industries, and…"

"Hold on," Yemen said. "I thought illegal mining is an issue with them. Are they participating themselves, or am I misinterpreting what you're trying to say?"

"You're on the right track. Yes, technically, there _are_ several things that we're doing that might be considered illegal by human standards, but only in terms of production. We've discovered that nations have the ability to conjure up any of their natural resources in an instant."

Portugal raised his hand, palm facing them. He then closed his hand and twisted it so that it would be palm-up. He slowly unfurled his fist, revealing a bushel of grapes in his hand.

"Wine is one of the things I'm famous for," Portugal explained. "And the grapes with them as well."

"That is so cool!" Czechia exclaimed, standing up. "Please, could you teach us how to do that?"

Everyone was surprised by Czechia's reaction, but Portugal smiled.

"Of course," he said. "This is a great ability for when you're suffering from hunger. And this _really_ helped me in my exploration days. Scurvy _never_ bothered the crew of any ship _I_ was on."

"Can you only summon fruits?" Slovakia asked. "What about meat?"

"Meat and fish are unfortunately impossible. The process works with raw materials. Raw material regarding meat would be the animals that you want, and that would imply creating life. Something that nations are _not_ capable of. We can _sustain_ life, but we can't _create_ life."

"Oh… I see. Makes sense."

They grew silent when Romania stumbled in behind Portugal, looking exhausted. Romania wrapped his arms around Portugal's shoulders, practically hanging off of him. Portugal glanced back in concern.

"Bad news?" he asked.

Romania nodded his head.

"Raj was _definitely_ captured by Requiem," Romania said. "The only problem is, I can't figure out _where_ exactly he is, or what's happening to him. I just know that he's alive."

Portugal scowled.

"They keep going after my family and friends," he said. "We need to show them _why_ it's such a bad idea."

Romania shot an odd look towards Portugal.

"What do you have in mind?" Romania asked.

"…I'll need to check on the map again," Portugal said. "In the meantime… You wouldn't mind dealing with Bulgaria and Hungary, would you?"

Romania's eyes widened.

"Are you suggesting we try out Border Control?" Romania asked.

Portugal nodded his head.

"We should also ask the others if they'd be willing to experiment a little," Portugal said.

…

India awoke with a start. He knew that he had been dead, but what happened during that time? And why did he feel a sense of foreboding terror?

He took a quick moment to survey his surroundings and paled. He was in a concrete room, strapped to a metal chair. Further inspection revealed wires coming from the chair. An electric chair. The room was small and bare, and asides from the chair, there was only the door and a light. And a camera.

He eyed the camera, going through the list of possible nations on the other side. He was aware of the fact that he was captured, but for what purpose? Why didn't South Korea kill him? And what happened to the others?

He jumped in surprise when the door was opened and the light turned on. A number of nations entered, and two of them were _not_ on the list of nations on his mental checklist.

"Palestine?" he asked. "Pakistan?"

Palestine smirked nastily, and Pakistan narrowed his eyes. Walking in along with them were Egypt, Peru and South Korea.

"Nice of you to finally wake up," South said, grinning. "We can begin."

"What is this place?" India demanded. "What do you _want_ with me? And where are the others?"

"The only part that you should be worried about is what we want to do with you," Palestine said. "Simply put, you're here because you're my key to hurting Israel."

India's breath hitched when he heard that. Pakistan's eyes narrowed further.

"And you're also going to pay for all the grief that _you_ gave me," Pakistan said.

"What did I do to you?!" India demanded. "I know our people don't have the best relationship, but _I_ never did anything to _you_!"

Pakistan gritted his teeth, and Egypt calmly grabbed his shoulder.

"Easy," Egypt said. "You'll have your chance now."

"How… Why do you think I'd be able to hurt David?" India asked.

South Korea raised his cell phone, a smirk on his face.

"Videos are _great_ for this," he said simply.

"And a bit of… magical intervention would ensure that neither Israel nor the rest of your allies would be able to find us," Egypt said.

India shook his head, feeling horror well up. He was tied to an electric chair, and it was made clear that they were going to hurt him. He could already tell what was going to happen. And it was all to hurt Israel.

He thought of how he would feel if the roles were reversed. If Israel was the one being tortured – and India _knew_ that he was being tortured – but he was unable to do anything to help him, it would be absolute torment. And India couldn't help the fear that he would never see Israel again, but Israel would see him in videos being tortured. And if it was true that they wouldn't be able to find him…

India started to try to break the bonds, tapping into every reserve he had. Nothing. They'd found a way to make their bonds nation-proof.

"It's useless," Peru said, stating the obvious. "As a precaution, we made sure that not even one of _us_ would be able to break it."

"Let's begin, shall we?" Egypt asked. "Pakistan, would you like to have the honours?"

"With pleasure," Pakistan said, as Peru handed him a remote.

"He's pretty strong," South Korea said. "So I suggest you _start_ with seven."

India watched as Pakistan turned a dial, bracing himself for the pain that would follow. Pakistan pressed a button, and India arched his back as the electrical current started to course through his body. A grunt was the only sound he made.

"Impressive pain tolerance," Egypt pressed. "Feel free to crank it up at any time."

The power increased, and all of India's joints locked up in pain. It was pure agony, and he had to fight harder to hold back the scream of pain.

"Truly impressive," Egypt observed. "Eight out of twenty. Turn it up to ten."

India felt a wave of panic when he heard that, just before a more powerful wave of pain flooded his body. His scream echoed in the small room.

…

California stumbled out of her room, rubbing her eyes. It was still far too early to wake up, and the only reason why she was out of bed was because she needed to get some water. She turned on the kitchen light and nearly screamed in shock. Someone was already there. It took her a while to recognise the person, and she sighed in relief.

"You shouldn't sit in the dark," she scolded. "You almost gave me a heart attack."

Israel simply arched an eyebrow, but she could clearly see the amusement in his eyes. California huffed, before she started looking for a glass.

"So, why are you up so early?" she asked, trying to play off her earlier embarrassment.

"I never went to sleep," Israel explained.

"Seriously?" she asked, turning to him and temporarily abandoning her search for a glass. "Why?"

"…I'm waiting for news about Raj," he explained, looking pained.

"That's… your boyfriend, isn't it?"

Israel nodded his head, closing his eyes. California didn't know what to do or say. She, like the others, had learned that Israel was on edge because his lover was on a mission to save someone from Requiem, and they hadn't heard from him. And as it turned out, there _still_ wasn't news from him.

Both of them jumped when Israel's phone chimed, and he quickly grabbed it. She watched him as she continued searching for a glass.

"…It's South Korea," he said. "What would _he_ send me?"

She turned to him again, and it was as though an electric shock coursed through her system as she was startled by the sound that came from Israel's phone.

Pained screaming.

Israel was staring at the phone screen, a look of horror on his face. The screaming continued.

"No…" he whispered, before screaming: "RAJ!"

…

Andorra was sitting at the breakfast table, simply staring at the bowl in front of him. He jumped when someone came up from behind, ruffling his hair.

"Sorry," Spain said, sitting down next to him. "Are you okay now?"

Andorra actually had to take a moment to think about it, before he shook his head.

"No," he said. "I mean… I found out that I was brainwashed by an organisation planning to start a global-scale war that would make both World Wars look like the Anglo-Zanzibar War. I'm not okay."

Spain frowned.

"How do you know what they're planning to do?" he asked.

"It was part of the conditioning," Andorra asked. "They want war, and they want to revive the former empires."

Spain wore a disturbed look. The tension was broken by the doorbell, and they listened as France went to answer it.

"So, when are you and Francis going to get together?" Andorra asked.

Spain blushed, taking a drink of his coffee. Andorra hadn't even noticed that he had it. He was _seriously_ out of it.

He could hear France approaching, followed by another set of footsteps. France was speaking quickly, but Andorra didn't have the focus to listen. Spain slightly turned his head to the doorway, where France entered, followed by an Arab man that Andorra recognised, but didn't know.

"Anyway, I hope you don't mind waiting for the explanation," France said. "For now, please make yourself at home. Have you had breakfast yet?"

"I had some on the flight," the new arrival said. He glanced towards Spain and Andorra. "I should have known that Spain would be here."

Spain blushed darker, and Andorra couldn't help but chuckle at that.

"If there's anything you want, let me know," France said. "I have to thank you for making mon petit frère laugh."

Andorra was startled by France's words, but France only gave a small smile in his direction. The new arrival just looked confused between them.

"Did something happen?" he asked.

"Don't worry too much, Saudi," Spain said. "We'll explain everything later. We're still waiting for Turkey and Australia."

Andorra cocked his head to the side. He remembered that three nations were supposed to be coming. Turkey, Australia and… This must have been Saudi Arabia.

"Then it would seem I have to entertain myself," Saudi said, sighing. "Those other two _better_ hurry it up."

As he said that, someone else rang the doorbell. France smiled, before he went to answer it.

"Would you like some coffee?" Spain asked.

"I wouldn't say no," Saudi said quickly, looking excited. "Just make it very strong."

"Of course," Spain said quietly as he stood up. "The last thing I need is one of you complaining about me giving you brown water. Again."

Andorra smiled when he heard that, and he felt Saudi place a hand on his shoulder.

"Are you alright?" Saudi asked gently. "There's something about you that seems… sad. And afraid."

Andorra was surprised that someone who didn't know anything about what was happening could pick up on it. Andorra lowered his head and just shrugged.

"I guess not," he muttered.

…

Bhutan was sitting on his bed, curled up against the wall. His sight had returned, but it only made him more aware of his current reality.

And after the previous day, he was also more aware of the reality of the rest of the world. India and Tibet being tortured. Myanmar and Bangladesh being robbed of their sanity and humanity. Laos and the others trying to learn about what was happening.

There was also something else he kept seeing that gave him hope. Nepal and India would still battle. India would escape. But now, there was something different about the India in the vision. He had a wild air about him, and he looked absolutely _furious_.

Something would happen to India in the future to bring about a harsh change.

Bhutan jerked in surprise when someone opened the door. As expected, it was Nepal, and he tried to hold in the trembling that threatened to attack.

"So, anything new for me?" Nepal asked.

 **The Anglo-Zanzibar War is known as the shortest war in history, lasting about 38-45** _ **minutes**_ **.**


	50. Chapter 49

**Thanks to AquaEclipse for reviewing.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 49**

Bulgaria and the others were staring at the TV screen, watching the news. They wanted to see if they could find any clues regarding Alvora's actions, but so far the news only covered the fallout of their own actions. Alvora was rather quiet, it would seem.

Bulgaria's eyes widened when he felt a stab of pain, and he clutched his head. He noticed that Hungary was doing the same.

Something was happening near his border with Romania, and it kept going inward. It… Entire towns and cities were being levelled to the ground. It didn't even seem to be the result of bombing. It was as though all of the buildings were suddenly made of sand, crumbling to the ground and crushing anything inside.

There was _no_ way that this was normal.

Finally, it seemed to stop, and Bulgaria was left panting. It was strange. He wasn't _supposed_ to have felt it, but now…

"What happened?" Belarus asked, trying to look into Hungary's eyes. The brunette woman had her head bowed, and Bulgaria could tell that she was also in pain.

"That…" Hungary gasped. "It…"

"What happened?" Slovenia asked, directing the question at Bulgaria.

Bulgaria took a long while to answer, and so did Hungary. The first response either of them gave was to look at each other, silently confirming what had happened with each other.

"Buildings started crumbling to the ground, starting from the Romanian border and going inwards," Bulgaria explained. "I _shouldn't_ have been able to feel it!"

"The same thing happened to me," Hungary said. "Also from my border with Romania."

Slovenia and Belarus shared a look, and Belarus looked absolutely _furious_. Her lover was threatened, after all.

"This is _definitely_ an attack," Belarus said. "The only question is, _why_?"

"You can go demand the answer from Romania," Slovenia said. "I'll inform Italy and Romano about what just happened."

…

Ireland stepped into the living room, where Wales was accompanying Sealand and Kugelmugel as the children were watching cartoons. It was important to distract the children from what was happening, though Ireland didn't particularly care about these two children. Although, he might want to ask Seborga's opinion before he did something to them.

Wales noticed his presence and shot him a quick glance before turning his attention back to the TV. That's what's been happening lately: Wales would either ignore him or be curt with him.

He couldn't think of anything that he might have done to get such a cool reception from the kindest of his brothers. Nothing directly, at least. The only thing that crossed his mind was the possibility that Wales was part of Alvora, and that he knew that Ireland was a member of Requiem.

Ireland didn't know what to do.

He'd always liked Wales – the other hadn't allowed his Celtic heritage to fade into the dust. Sure, he might have kept it under wraps, but Ireland knew that Wales was proud of being a Celt. He wasn't like England who allowed the outside influences to change him. Not even Scotland could say that, and Northern Ireland was born after that era, so he could be forgiven for not being a proud Celt.

Ireland was still in favour with his gods, and he knew that Wales was as well. Their deities were different, but they were still Celtic. Scotland didn't have that connection anymore, and England lost his connection a long time ago. Which was why it was infuriating that there were still beings that had favoured him.

Not anymore, though.

It wasn't just out of a general sense of frustration that Ireland had killed England – it was also meant to be a sacrifice. The outside influences came to him through England, and his gods were furious about it. So what better way to appease them than to kill the one that allowed their way of life to die in the first place?

There was also another reason why he liked Wales: it was because he didn't treat him like a drunken idiot. Especially during the War of Roses. When Italy and Romano had approached him to join them. He didn't want to, at first. He felt horrified by the prospect. And he'd tried to tell his brothers. England and Scotland both scoffed at him. Said that he'd had too much to drink, and that he couldn't distinguish between dreams and reality. And a poor attempt to get out of the war.

Ireland didn't even have the heart to tell Wales about it. He didn't want to have the kindest brother say unkind words. But still, even though he didn't know the full story, Wales had been the one to tell him that he wasn't a drunken fool. And he'd comforted him in Old Celt, the language that Ireland felt the most comfortable in.

England and Scotland were the ones that pushed him to join Requiem, and England had already been punished. But Scotland didn't really deserve death. Other than that one time, Scotland had been pretty nice to him, even when their political situations weren't favourable.

But Scotland wasn't the one that was an enemy – _Wales_ was.

Actually, Ireland didn't know that for a _fact_. It was just a suspicion. A suspicion that he hoped was false. Perhaps he was just jumping to conclusions. Perhaps Wales was just a bit tired due to the political shifts following England's death. Perhaps he was imagining that it was aimed at him.

But still, if it _was_ that Wales was a member of Alvora, then Ireland would need to find out. And then they would need to figure out what to do. Because Ireland didn't want to hurt Wales.

And so, he sat down next to Wales. His brother tensed, which made him further suspect that his suspicions were correct.

"It's been a while since we spent some time together," Ireland said.

"We're together every day now," Wales muttered.

"But you and I haven't had some _proper_ time together."

"I'm not going drinking with you."

Okay, that was actually something that was normal for Wales. He _used_ to go drinking with the rest of them, but Wales was the most responsible out of them, and grew tired of becoming the designated driver. So, whenever Wales wanted to drink, he did it in the privacy of his own home.

"Don't worry, it's nothing like that," Ireland said. "I just want to chat with you."

"We're chatting now," Wales pointed out.

"But we can't discuss anything serious with the little ones around. Such as Requiem and Alvora."

Wales tensed, and Ireland knew that he was right. He felt a bit bad about it, but now they had some negotiating to do.

"Don't lie to me," Ireland muttered. "We need to discuss it."

Wales pressed his lips together, before he nodded. Wales stood, and Ireland followed. They would discuss this, and they would see where they stood. They would see what would have to be done.

…

Norway groaned as he woke up. He felt exhausted, which wasn't too unusual for when he woke up after dying. But why did he die?

The memory flashed through his mind, and he sat up. He paled when he realised that he was in a cell, and that he wasn't alone. Sweden was with him.

"I see you're finally awake," Sweden said. "You should have stayed asleep for longer."

"Why?" Norway asked. "What's happening?"

"We're in Denmark now."

Norway took a moment to absorb the information.

"What happened to Emil?" Norway asked.

Sweden shook his head.

"I think he's still in some sort of trance," Sweden said. "I don't think Denmark is going to let him go anytime soon."

"Why would Denmark _do_ that?" Norway asked.

"Did you honestly forget what he used to be like? I was always suspicious about his change in attitude."

Norway sighed, before his thoughts drifted to Finland. He knew that Finland had also lied to them, but Finland, at least, hadn't tried to kill any of the others. And Finland looked just as horrified when he learned about what had happened to Iceland.

The two looked up when they heard a door open, and they tensed in anticipation. They knew that whatever was going on, it wouldn't be good.

Denmark strolled in, followed by Switzerland, to their surprise. And for some reason, Denmark had his arm wrapped around Switzerland's waist.

"I see the two of you are _finally_ awake," Denmark said. "Excellent. Now the show can go on."

"What show?" Norway demanded.

"Don't worry about it," Switzerland said. "You'll find out soon enough."

The cell was opened, and Sweden tried to attack Denmark. However, the shorter male appeared to be stronger, and he easily pinned Sweden down, enough to cuff his hands behind his back. Switzerland approached Norway, but the latter was still too tired to fight back. His hands were also cuffed behind his back.

"Where are you taking us?" Norway demanded.

"Curiosity killed the cat," Switzerland simply said. "You'll find out soon, so just shut up for now."

Norway grew silent. He could detect a hint of bitterness from Switzerland, and wondered what it was about. He recalled the way Denmark held onto Switzerland and wondered if it meant that they were in a relationship. Which raised a few questions regarding Denmark's clingy behaviour towards Norway.

The group entered a hall, and both Sweden and Norway froze. In the centre of the room were the Swedish and Norwegian royal families, all of them bound and gagged, and all of them forced to their knees. Even the children, who were crying in fear.

"What are they doing here?!" Norway snarled, glaring at Denmark.

Denmark smirked, before leading Sweden towards a seat, Switzerland dragging Norway to another. The two nations were secured, both of them glaring at Denmark.

"Now that we're all here, we can begin," Denmark said, grabbing his axe.

Sweden and Norway seemed to realise what Denmark intended to do at the same time, and they both started to struggle against their restraints.

"Leave them alone!" Sweden shouted.

It had become clear what Denmark intended to do. And the two of them were helpless to stop it.

"I'm going to restore the Kalmar Union," Denmark said darkly. "And the first step to accomplishing that goal is to destroy your means of independence."

Executing the royal families would cause civil and political unrest. If Denmark chose to press it, he could completely shut down their governments. He could take control of both of their countries in one fell swoop.

Norway wasn't one to cry, but as the axe was brought down on his king's neck, he couldn't help the tears that started to fall.

…

Ireland brought Wales up to his room, and closed the door. Wales crossed his arms, standing against the door. He wasn't going further inside. If he needed to, he would have a means of escape.

"You can relax," Ireland said. "Out of everyone, you're the one I'm the least likely to attack."

"Why?" Wales asked.

"You never abandoned the old ways. You still worship the Celtic gods."

Wales let out a burst of breath.

"Is _that_ why you joined Requiem?" Wales asked. "Because the others weren't as Celtic as you hoped they'd be? Because of a shift in religion?"

"Not exactly," Ireland said. "Italy and Romano wanted a nation that could help with magic – other than Egypt, of course, since he wasn't always available. They asked me, and after some… issues, I decided to join."

"What issues?"

"Never mind that. Now, we need to work out what we're going to do. It's only a matter of time before Scottie and North notice that something's going on. And they'll ask you what happened to result in the cold shoulder. Honestly, I don't really know why you're giving me the cold shoulder. You can't be _that_ mad at me for my allegiances."

Wales ground his teeth. Was Ireland _really_ asking that of him? _Him_?

"After what you did to Arthur, you _seriously_ ask me that?" Wales asked.

Ireland looked genuinely surprised with that.

"I thought you would be a lot happier," he said. "After all, I know about all the grief he gave you. Are you seriously telling me that you've forgiven that bastard for what he did to your back?"

Wales tensed. How did Ireland know that? It was only supposed to be him, England and North Korea that knew that. He hadn't even told the other members of Alvora.

"You're wondering how I knew that, aren't you?" Ireland asked. "You're a deep sleeper, brother dear. And your nightshirts sometimes ride up. You also sometimes shift around, as though it's bothering you, and you would sometimes shoot England a glare."

Wales closed his eyes with a sigh. He had hoped that no one would notice any of that, but apparently he had underestimated at least one of his brothers.

"So, is that the only problem you had with me?" Ireland asked. "Because I gave the English bastard what was coming to him?"

"There's _also_ what you did to the counties," Wales hissed.

Ireland blinked in surprise, his eyes widening slightly.

"…You found out about it?" he asked. "Well… I _did_ notice a slight disturbance in my country. But it didn't feel like your magic."

Wales didn't say what it was. He was not going to give Requiem any potentially incriminating information.

"…Doesn't matter," Ireland said, shrugging. "I'm going to assume that you freed them, then. Like I said, it doesn't matter. I'm finished with them anyway."

Wales clenched his fists at his side. How could Ireland be so callous regarding the lives of their siblings? Did he _seriously_ not care?

Ireland seemed to notice his anger, and he sighed.

"…There's another issue we need to negotiate about," Ireland said. "What to do regarding the others."

Wales tensed when he heard that.

"What are you talking about?" he demanded.

"Scottie and North," Ireland clarified. "Along with the two micronations. I know that you wouldn't want them to get hurt, so here's what we do: I won't hurt them, and you don't warn them. Neither of us makes a move. We keep them in the dark as long as possible. Agreed?"

Wales scrutinised Ireland.

"Let's also make it clear that neither of us leaves," Wales said.

Ireland narrowed his eyes.

"Look, there's someone I would like to see every now and again, and staying here is killing me," Ireland said. "One or two hours with a specific nation. Or, are you telling me that you're single?"

Wales pursed his lips. Yes, he would like to see North Korea every now and again. And it was clear that Ireland had someone to see as well.

"We _only_ see that one nation," Wales said. "If we're around any of the others…"

"Then the other can punish him however he likes," Ireland said hastily. "I also assume that you'd like to at least _call_ the others."

"A phone call. That's the only contact allowed with any other member of our respective groups. And what of non-involved nations?"

"If they belong to neither Requiem nor Alvora, then contact with them will go as normal. It would be too suspicious otherwise."

Wales was silent for a moment.

"Fair enough," he said. "But, just to make sure, let's make a Blood Vow."

Ireland flinched at that, and he looked down at Wales's hand.

"…It _would_ ensure that we keep our word," he said. "Alright, fine."

Ireland removed a small knife, before making a cut on the palm of his right hand. He handed the knife to Wales, who did the same thing. Once that was done, the two clasped their hands, the cuts brushing against each other.

"Neither of us will leave the British Isles for more than two hours at a time," Ireland said. "And neither of us will be around any nation from our respective groups, with the exception of one. I promise that the only nation I would see is Bulgaria."

Wales arched an eyebrow at that.

"And I promise that North Korea is the only one that I will see," Wales said. "We may contact the others by phone, but we will not engage. Neither of us will say anything to our brothers of either group, and neither of us will do a thing to harm them."

The two finalised the Vow, and once the magic was sealed, they released their hands.

"You and North Korea?" Ireland asked incredulously.

"You and Bulgaria?" Wales asked back.

"…This is awkward."

…

Romano listened to Ireland's report with a frown on his face.

"That's unfortunate for you," Romano said. "I know you're pretty fond of Wales. So, you're a bit grounded right now?"

"It would seem so," Ireland sighed. "I can't leave for more than two hours, and I can only go to Dimitri. Contact between the rest of us is limited to phone calls. But it's the same for him. He can't be around any of the other members of Alvora."

"I guess that's at least a compensation," Romano sighed. "But at least we know one more member. So, Wales and North Korea? Since we know that North Korea is a lot more passive than the rest of the world assumed, I guess it makes sense."

"What are we going to do now?"

"You go and spend some time with Bulgaria. Warn him about the situation. If a magical contract is involved, we don't want to take any chances."

"Thanks. What are you going to do regarding Wales and North Korea?"

"He's your brother. What do you want to do regarding them?"

"…North Korea is South's brother. I won't do anything. South has a claim to him. And Will is still my favourite. But if necessary… the Vow didn't include what we do to each other."

"I'll tell Veneziano about what's happening. It would seem we have one more member that we can't transport to the Washroom."

Romano hung up, before he groaned. Alvora was proving to be more troublesome than expected.


	51. Chapter 50

**Thanks to Sahaliyan and AquaEclipse for reviewing.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 50**

Romania was resting on the couch, on the verge of passing out. It had been a lot of work, attacking both Hungary and Bulgaria. It was what Portugal wanted. Which made the latter feel guilty of using his lover like that.

Portugal sat down on the armrest, running his fingers through Romania's hair. The other nation nuzzled into the hand and sighed happily.

"…What exactly did you do?"

Portugal looked up at the voice and saw Yemen standing there, a worried look on his face.

"We call it Border Control," Portugal said. "Nations are able to influence their lands. We can even choose to cause a natural disaster in a moment. And we can do the same to our neighbours, or at least part of their lands. The longer the border, the farther away the damage can be done."

Yemen frowned.

"That seems a bit… questionable," he said.

"I know," Portugal said. "It was supposed to be used as a last resort. But I will not allow anyone to attack any of my friends."

Romania's phone started ringing, and the Eastern European groaned. Portugal grabbed the device, and frowned when he saw who was calling. It wasn't too surprising, to be honest. He quickly pressed 'accept' and put the device against his ear.

"Romania, you bastard!" Hungary's voice shouted. "What did you do to us?! I know that it was you who did it!"

"Hello, Hungary," Portugal said in a cold voice. "So, you felt it?"

There was silence for a moment. Apparently, Hungary was surprised about the person she was speaking to.

"What did you do?" she repeated.

"Consider it a warning," Portugal said. "Release India, and no one else will experience that."

"…You and Romania. I heard of it."

Portugal had to repress a groan. From the tone of voice, it would seem that _that_ part of Hungary's personality wasn't a lie.

"The fact that you referred to 'us' tells me that you are with Bulgaria now," Portugal said, trying to divert her attention.

"We're in the same location now, yes," Hungary said. "And I'm in a relationship with _Belarus_. How do you think _she_ feels about what happened?"

"I can imagine, but there are others on my side that would have similar feelings."

"I know nothing about India. It's not part of my business. So you attacked the wrong nations."

"But you can still pass on the message. _Never_ attack my comrades."

Portugal raised an eyebrow when he heard the dial tone, and he couldn't help but feel suspicious. Hungary was _way_ too calm, especially considering how she was at the beginning of the conversation. She was planning something. And Portugal would be prepared.

Portugal looked down at Romania, who had fallen asleep out of pure exhaustion. Portugal felt bad for making his lover do something like that, but he himself didn't have a neighbour that needed to receive a warning.

"…There's going to be retaliation, isn't there?"

Portugal looked up at Yemen, who was still nervously hovering near the door.

"Retaliation is to be expected," Portugal said. "This is war, after all. And if Italy thinks that I'm going to stand aside and allow my friends to be hurt, then he's sorely mistaking."

Yemen sighed.

"From one war to another," he said.

"You don't have to fight," Portugal said. "Requiem doesn't know about you. And even if they _do_ find out, their first thought is most likely going to be that we conquered you or something."

Yemen seemed startled by that, but before he could say anything, Portugal's phone rang. He quickly answered it.

"Is everything alright, Will?" Portugal asked.

"Ireland found out about me," Wales explained.

Portugal frowned in concern when he heard that.

"What happened?" he asked. "What did he do?"

Portugal listened to Wales's explanation, feeling relieved when he found out that things didn't go horribly between the brothers. Finding out that Wales wasn't allowed to join them was a bit of a blow, but one that they could manage.

"That's good to hear," he sighed. "By the way, do you think that you could help us find Raj? Requiem took him, and Vlad's too exhausted to do anything. I'll ask Agewe and Caio to help as well."

"Of course," Wales said. "There's no way I would allow Raj to stay with them. But I highly doubt that Patrick would share that piece of information with me."

"You should also visit Jeng. It's going to be difficult, now that you only have two hours with him."

"I plan to do it immediately. Thank you."

Portugal smiled as he disconnected the call, and he turned to Yemen again, who was still standing there.

"Will and Ireland have reached a sort of stalemate regarding their divided allegiances," Portugal explained. "At least he's safe, for the moment."

"What exactly did you mean when you said that I don't have to fight?" Yemen asked.

"I'm not going to force you into anything. If you want to help, then you can help. If you don't, then I won't take it personally.'

Yemen seemed genuinely surprised to hear that. It was at that moment that Portugal's phone alerted him of a message. When he looked at it, he frowned when he noticed that Israel had forwarded a video that Requiem had sent him.

And once he played it, he understood why it had been sent. It was enough to startle Romania awake, and Yemen also jumped in surprise when he heard the sound.

"Is that…?" Yemen started.

"It's Raj," Portugal clarified. "They sent a video of him being tortured. And they sent it to the person that loves him the most."

"Bastards," Romania hissed, eyes flashing dangerously.

"So… how are you going to retaliate?" Yemen asked, and it was clear that he felt the same rage that Portugal and Romania felt.

"…The original message came from South Korea," Portugal said. "I'm going to ask Jeng for a little favour…"

…

Italy listened to Slovenia, his head cocked to the side.

"And you're _sure_ that it's Alvora?" he asked.

"It has to be," Slovenia said. "Bulgaria and Hungary agree that something like this just doesn't happen naturally. They also agree that the origin seemed to come from their border with Romania."

Italy frowned in confusion. What Slovenia had described sounded a lot like how a nation could influence their own lands, but to hear that _another_ nation could influence it… And that it _hurt_ …

"Huh?" Slovenia asked suddenly.

Italy listened as what sounded like a conversation on the other side of the phone took place, before Hungary's voice greeted him.

"Hey Feli," she said. "I've got some potentially useful information regarding Alvora. So, I called Romania, but Portugal is the one who answered. He confirmed that it was their doing, and that it was just a _warning_. This is all about India. Apparently, this is the type of thing we can expect if we harm his comrades."

Italy chuckled. Despite being attacked, it _was_ good news. It was proof that, for all their talk about changing the way nations treated each other, they were no better than them. They were also willing to do some nasty things. He wondered how far they were willing to go. And how long it would take before the rest of the world became aware of what they were doing.

"Excellent," he said. "It's unfortunate about the attack, but now we know what they're willing to do when one of their members is threatened. We should see how far we can push them."

"We should also warn the others that Alvora knows how to attack our countries and _hurt_ us," Hungary pointed out.

"I will. Grazie. And now I think you and Bulgaria need to go lie down."

"Thank you."

Italy pocketed his phone, and he wondered if he should share the news with Romano. After all, it _was_ one of the reasons why they wanted to capture a member of Alvora: To see what they would be willing to do when push came to shove.

…

"Where are they?" Congo muttered, looking at his watch.

All of the Africans that _weren't_ with the others had been summoned, and now they were waiting for someone to fetch them from the airport. Considering the fact that they were ordered to leave the comforts of their own/their friends' homes, they weren't in the mood for waiting.

"Sorry about the wait!"

As one, they all turned to face the two South Africas. Black actually looked a bit sheepish, and was the one to speak, while White looked annoyed about something.

"Took you long enough!" Rwanda exclaimed, her hands being placed on her hips. "What's with the hold-up?"

"Comforting Tunisia and making a cave network more comfortable to live in," White said, sounding exhausted.

"Tunisia?" Mauritania asked. "I thought Requiem took him?"

"We got him back yesterday," Black explained, his smile falling. "But he's in a seriously bad state. We also got DRC back, and Uganda. But the other three… Tunisia said there's no hope for them."

Congo looked excited when he heard that DRC was saved, and Uganda's neighbours also looked relieved. South Sudan frowned, along with Algeria and Nigeria's neighbours.

"Did he say exactly _why_ the others are beyond hope?" Niger asked.

The two winced, and they shared a look. Black sighed.

"Well…" he hesitated. "Tunisia said… It looked as though they had been stripped of anything that made them human. They were feral. And… Algeria even cannibalised him."

"What?!" Mauritania exclaimed, looking sick to her stomach.

"Are… are you sure?" Mali asked.

"I wish we were lying," Black said. "DRC's still unconscious, and Uganda… he's been lobotomised."

"What were they doing with them?" Chad whispered.

"Come on," White said. "We need to get going."

They all nodded, grabbing their bags. They were led outside, where a minibus and a double-cab were standing side-by-side. Zambia, Malawi and Madagascar stopped as soon as they saw the minibus.

"Um, who's driving, and which vehicle?" Zambia asked nervously.

"I'm driving the bakkie, and he's driving the taxi," White said. "Sorry, I couldn't convince him otherwise."

As a unit, the three nations immediately moved to stand beside White, with Madagascar throwing her arm around White's shoulder with a smile on her face.

"You'll let us ride with you, right?" Madagascar asked nervously.

"Please," Zambia added, throwing Black a fearful look.

White, in turn, threw Black a smug look.

"I told you so," she said.

Black narrowed his eyes, but they could tell that he was mostly just annoyed, and not angry.

"Okay, you can put your luggage in the back," White said, gesturing to the back of the bakkie. "And one more person can ride with me."

The rest of the nations looked around at each other. Finally, Comoros stepped forward.

"I'll go with you," she said.

"Great," White said. "Let's get all of this inside, and then we can go."

…

India was drenched in sweat, still panting from the torture. They had left several minutes ago, but India's nerves were still reacting to the electrical current.

It wasn't the first time he had been electrocuted. There was one time when he made a mistake with the wiring of his house, and a few that had been done deliberately, but this was by far the worst. He had no idea how strong a current the Requiem nations used.

He flinched when the door opened again, and he turned tired eyes to see Egypt standing there, an amused look on his face. India narrowed his eyes.

"What is the meaning of this?" he asked in a raspy voice.

"What do you mean?" Egypt asked, his voice dripping with amusement.

"Why are you doing this to me? Why are you doing this to David?"

Egypt didn't immediately answer, but he closed the door and dragged a wooden chair closer. India tensed a bit when he saw this, and Egypt sat down across from him.

"You know how glorious my mother's society was," Egypt said. "The Ancient Egyptians were models for the rest of the world. And look at what _I've_ become. Look at what _they_ made me become. The Arabic influence was poisonous. Oh, it was fine when they still made beautiful works of art. I could forgive them when they still held some semblance of civilisation. But look at what they've done. I'm sure you understand, given your history with their influence."

India flinched. Yes, he remembered how much damage had been done with the opposing cultures.

"What does this have to do with David?" India asked.

"First of all, because the three religions causing conflict in my part of the world originated from _his_ people," Egypt said. "Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Three different opinions on the same deity. And then each opinion has its own, sub-opinions. The latter two especially have been poisonous to the rest of the world. How many cultures have been destroyed by them? How _superior_ to the rest of the world do they think they are?"

"But David isn't directly responsible for any of them. He was born from the Jews, but they existed before he did. And the humans moved independently from him."

"I realise that," Egypt said, nodding. "And that was why I thought he would be an _ally_. So, I guess you can say I'm upset to learn that his allegiances lie elsewhere. This is also for Palestine's sake. Her loyalty is paid for by Israel's pain. And Pakistan's loyalty is paid for by _yours_."

"But you wouldn't have approached either of them if not for us. You didn't want them. They're _compensation_."

"Not really. We would have approached them eventually. Both of them were potential valuable assets. So everything worked out fine."

India narrowed his eyes.

"And after you've sufficiently tortured David and I, what are you going to do then?" India asked. "Kill me?"

Egypt smirked.

"I've got something better in mind," he said. "I also came to ask you about something else. For some strange reason, Hungary and Bulgaria were attacked, and it _hurt_. The origin came from Romania. Tell me, do any methods you know of come to mind?"

India didn't answer. The description… Were they really resorting to _that_? It was meant to be a last resort. But, _why_?

"Your reaction tells me that you know exactly what it is," Egypt said, narrowing his eyes. "Tell me what it is."

"And why should I?" India asked. "I've been kidnapped, tortured, and you've sent a video of my torture to my lover. Why should I tell you anything?"

Egypt smirked, before he revealed the controller for the chair. India tensed when he saw it.

"Then I guess I'll force it out of you," he said, before he turned the dial.

…

Serbia and Canada were standing next to each other, watching Israel pace nervously, his face pale and eyes bloodshot. The two had their arms wrapped around each other, as though they were afraid of losing the other. The very thing Israel was experiencing at the moment.

Neither of them knew what to do. They had no idea how to help Israel. Their only hope was to find out where India was being held, and they were completely dependant on the magical nations to figure it out.

But until then, how much would India and Israel suffer?

"I feel so bad."

Canada turned around to see California standing there, the normally cheerful expression on her face absent. California was with Israel when he received the video. She was the one that saw the pain on Israel's face.

"This isn't your fault," Canada tried to reassure the state.

"But, it _is_ ," she insisted. "We should have warned everyone about Requiem. If we'd warned someone, then this could have been prevented."

"You're not to blame," Israel said, surprising everyone. "I know that you've been traumatised by Requiem as well. I can understand why you would be scared to say anything."

California looked as though she wanted to cry. The others couldn't blame her. They expected Israel to be angrier than this.

"David, do you know how to get into contact with Raj's gods?" Serbia asked.

Israel faltered, before turning to Serbia. He hesitated a moment, before he nodded.

"Yeah, I know how to contact them," he said quietly. "But they're not too fond of me."

"But they're fond of Raj," Serbia said. "I think you should contact them as soon as possible. If anyone can find him, it's them."

Israel bit his lip, before nodding.

"I'll see what I can do," he said.

…

White parked in the garage, and everyone got out of the bakkie. They started to unload the luggage from the back when the minibus stopped, and everyone frantically got out. Senegal turned to White.

"Revoke that man's license," he said.

White chuckled, while Black sulked.

They each got their luggage, and started making their way to the main area. There was a large cavern that could be used as a meeting room. They were surprised to see that everyone was already there, and Black and White froze when they saw the expressions on their allies' faces.

"What happened?" White asked, directing the question at Brazil.

"Raj had been captured by Requiem," Brazil explained. "And they sent David a video of him being tortured."

"Bastards," Black muttered, clenching his fists. He glanced towards Morocco. "I guess this is a good time to try out my powers."

Morocco nodded.

"Miguel is furious," she said. "He asked Jeng to use Border Control, since South Korea is one of the nations we know for a _fact_ is directly involved. He's the one that sent the video."

Black and White exchanged a look. They knew what Border Control implied, and how angry Portugal must have been to order it.

…

New Zealand narrowed his eyes in suspicion when they reached France's house. Australia only told him that France had called a meeting, and that he wanted the two of them to come.

New Zealand didn't trust this at all.

France opened the door with a tired smile.

"Merci for coming," he said. "Everyone's here now, and the meeting can begin."

 **It's insanely weird referring to a pick-up-truck as anything other than a bakkie, with the exception of double-cab. So I changed that part to 'bakkie'. It's an Afrikaans word that's been adopted into South African English.**

 **And Egypt's statement is also a bit of a Mirai Nikki reference: Three different opinions on the same god.**


	52. Chapter 51

**Thanks to HappyFairySong and AquaEclipse for reviewing.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 51**

Australia and New Zealand were being led to the living room, where they could see other nations were also going. New Zealand glanced suspiciously around them, eyes lingering on a few of them. He didn't know what this was about, but if things went sour for him, he at least had an escape plan.

It took a while for everyone to get a seat and be comfortable, and when it was done, France looked around at everyone.

"Thank you for coming," France said. "Especially Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Australia. I know that this was short notice, but it's important."

"First of all, explain what _exactly_ happened to America," Saudi Arabia said. "You said he's dead, but there's more to it."

"He's dead and cannibalised," China said. "Not just his heart. Someone really had a field day with him. And when we checked in on Canada…"

"We learned something from an American state," Russia said. "There's a group calling themselves Requiem that's behind all of these murders. They've committed a number of crimes, asides from murder. They are responsible for the disappearance of many states, regions, provinces, and other sub-territories. They've been performing experiments on them."

New Zealand pursed his lips, and he looked around at the others. Turkey, Cyprus, Saudi Arabia and Australia seemed to have a hard time believing it.

"You're telling me there's an entire _conspiracy_ behind the deaths of some of the more powerful nations?" Saudi asked.

"I know it's unbelievable," China said. "But there's more. There's _another_ group as well."

"So far, we don't know of any crimes they might have committed, with the exception of conquering almost an entire continent," Spain said.

" _What_?!" Turkey exclaimed.

"I'm sure you noticed the fact that the African nations are cutting ties with everyone," France said. "Almost all of them belong to the second group, Alvora."

New Zealand tried to hold in a sigh. Of course, he'd noticed an abrupt loss in African contacts following the revelation of their identities. He should have known that other nations would notice as well. But it was interesting. So, they weren't just limiting their disconnection to the Requiem nations. They were disconnecting from the rest of the world.

"…How did you find out about the second group?" Australia asked.

"I told them," Mongolia said. "I noticed something was going on with a few of the surrounding nations ages ago, and I kept an eye on them. Slowly, but surely, I found out about both groups, and I'm pretty sure I have the identities of everyone involved."

New Zealand felt a stab of fear when he heard that. If that was the case… Could _that_ be the reason why he was specifically asked for as well?

He discreetly looked around, and noticed that there were a few nations that would shoot him furtive glances. They suspected him. He needed to figure out what to do.

"And if this is true," Turkey said, " _why_ didn't you tell anyone sooner?"

"I started figuring it out in my empire days," Mongolia explained. "I wasn't exactly popular. And with the rate both groups were recruiting, it was more than likely that anyone I told would have been a recruit that I hadn't noticed before. Besides, I didn't want to cause a witch hunt before they do anything."

"Except now, several nations are dead," Spain said. "America, England, Germany, Japan…"

"Austria," Prussia said. "I've been checking the news. What's been happening to the other countries is happening to Austria."

New Zealand narrowed his eyes slightly. Prussia seemed to be trying not to look at him, but he could tell that there was a particular cold draft coming from that direction. As though Prussia didn't _suspect_ , but _knew_. But the only way for him to know for sure was…

Did the others know about Prussia being in Alvora?

New Zealand gritted his teeth. It would seem that Alvora was _really_ getting annoying. But… It _did_ offer a new opportunity. They were looking for an Alvora nation to send to the Washroom. Preferably, someone that was _alone_. New Zealand quickly scanned the nations surrounding them, but he could not detect the same hostility directed at him that Prussia was directing. It would seem that Prussia _was_ alone.

"And what exactly are they planning to _do_?" Turkey asked, crossing his arms.

"We don't know Requiem's plans, except that they seem to want to start a war to end all wars," France said. "And Alvora wishes to change the way nations treat each other."

"…Come again?" Saudi asked, looking confused.

"I checked on some of the African nations' current reports," Prussia said. "They may have cut off access, but we can still get news from them. The GDP of twenty different nations has improved by five percent since the last meeting."

"Seriously?" China asked, before removing his phone.

…If it _was_ true, then it was an excellent cover. And it placed them in a better position.

"So, they're improving the conditions of some of the nations under their control," Australia said. "But what about the whole 'changing the way nations treat each other thing'?"

"I get it," Cyprus said, cocking his head to the side. "It doesn't happen often that a nation is happy about being the underling of another nation. One of the reasons why it's a problem is because the nation in control has a superiority complex and tends to undermine the other nation as much as possible."

Spain, France and Mongolia looked a bit uncomfortable, while Turkey was eyeing Cyprus, who was pointedly looking away from Turkey.

"If they're actually _helping_ , then the other nation can't really complain, right?" Cyprus continued.

"…Well, Prussia's right," China said, sighing. "Twenty countries have gotten a five percent improvement in GDP, but they're not the only ones. I'd say more than half the continent had an improvement. Not bad, considering they're all suffering from government shutdowns."

"What?" Spain asked, trying to move closer to China.

"Oh, that makes sense," Mongolia said. "Both groups know how to run their countries without human governments. They also know how to manipulate their own people on a large scale. But I don't know how they can manage that in the countries of non-members."

New Zealand narrowed his eyes slightly. How did Mongolia _know_ all of this? And how _much_ did he know? Judging by the way Prussia was looking at him, he could assume that he was wondering the same thing. And he was only confirming New Zealand's suspicions.

"Is there _anything_ else you'd like to share with us?" France asked exasperatedly.

Mongolia shrugged, and New Zealand felt that Mongolia was an oversight they'd neglected for far too long. He would need to inform Italy of this, as soon as he was able to do so.

"…So, you told us about one group, and what they're doing for the nations under them," Saudi said. "What about the other?"

The others shifted nervously, and Prussia sighed, removing his own cell phone.

"There's a video trending right now, regarding the execution of the Swedish and Norwegian royal families," Prussia said sombrely. "Denmark managed to conquer both of them, and it seems as though Iceland is also going through some civil unrest."

"Denmark is one of the identified members," France said, nodding his head. "But we can actually ask somebody else about what Requiem's been up to. After all, we have a member of Requiem right here with us. Isn't that right, New Zealand?"

New Zealand's eyes widened when he heard that, and all eyes turned to him. He tried to hold his anger inside as he feigned innocence.

"What are you talking about?" he asked. "I'm not… I haven't even heard about all of this until right now."

"And yet you were particularly _quiet_ through all of this," Spain said, crossing his arms. "You also seem to be trying to hold back your annoyance."

"It's not annoyance," New Zealand insisted, raising his hands to raise his point. "I'm just trying to process everything. Honest! I'm not involved in this at all!"

"…To be honest, I've had my doubts about him," Russia said. "Especially the part where he's in a relationship with Italy."

…They even knew about _that_? They seriously needed to deal with this matter.

"Italy?" Australia repeated.

"Yes," China said. "Apparently, Italy is one of the leaders of Requiem, along with Romano."

"You're _kidding_ ," Saudi Arabia said, his voice betraying his disbelief. "You're seriously telling us that the dangerous group's leaders are the _Italy brothers_? The cowardly idiots who don't understand the concept of loyalty?"

New Zealand tried to repress his rage. They had no idea what they were talking about. It took a pair of geniuses to convince the rest of the world that they were idiots. After all, Italy _was_ a member of the G7.

"You're right," France sighed. "It's just as Napoleon once said: If you want the Italian army on your side at the end of the war, you have to be against them at the beginning of the war."

New Zealand had to keep himself from trembling in rage. How _dare_ they…

"Are you sure that the Italy brothers are the leaders?" Russia asked, looking at Mongolia. "Perhaps the true leaders are only using the biggest idiots they could find as puppets to take them less seriously. Because any organisation that has those two, especially North Italy, as leaders pose very little threat."

"Shut up!" New Zealand shouted, jumping to his feet. "Shut up! Shut up! You don't know anything! _You're_ the idiots if you think that the grandsons of the greatest Ancient Empire would be cowardly weaklings. _Never_ call them idiots!"

Everyone was staring at him, some in surprise, others in grim satisfaction, and New Zealand realised that he'd just given himself away.

"I guess it verifies _something_ ," China said.

"Kiwi?" Australia asked tentatively.

New Zealand clenched his fists before he turned to Australia.

"Don't _ever_ call me that again," he said. "I've always _hated_ that stupid nickname."

The change in demeanour must have sent everyone else on alert, for they stood as well. New Zealand grew aware of the fact that they were surrounding him. But he still had his own cards to play.

"Who exactly killed England?" Spain asked.

New Zealand snorted in amusement.

"You're seriously asking _that_ of all things?" he asked. "Ireland is the one that killed him. He's also the one who recruited me, in case you're wondering. Mexico killed America, and would have killed Canada too, if it wasn't for the fact that he's Alvora. Surprised us too, to be honest. France would have been killed by Switzerland, but he was with Spain, and we have a _special_ plan for _him_. You should have treated your colonies better. Germany was killed my Italy, because Feliciano's acting skills made him the only one that could get close to Germany and allowed him to lower his guard. And Japan was killed by South Korea. You ostracised the wrong twin, by the way. Oh, and Hungary killed Austria. But he's too much of a small-fry for any of you to even care."

The other nations bristled a bit. Taiwan and Hong Kong especially looked pained, and so did Latvia and Estonia.

"Is that what this is about?" Australia asked. "Because you feel as though I don't care about you? Ki… Zeal, you're my _brother_."

New Zealand raised an eyebrow at the use of another nickname, but he also realised that Australia was trying to comply with his wishes not to use the nickname.

" _You're_ not too bad," New Zealand said, his expression softening a little. "But there's a reason why Alvora managed to get away with conquering most of Africa in a single day."

"I think that's enough," France sighed. "We'll need to capture New Zealand and gain more information from him."

"And you think I'll comply with that?" New Zealand asked.

"You're outnumbered," Russia said, narrowing his eyes. "You have to see that you're at a disadvantage."

New Zealand smirked.

"But _I've_ got an advantage," he said. "Nolae. Pračynacca. Attack!"

There was a brief moment of surprise, before Taiwan lashed out at Hong Kong, punching him hard enough to the ground, and when China made a move, she lashed out at him as well. At the same time, Latvia punched Estonia, breaking the latter's glasses and causing him to cry out in pain as some of the shards landed in his eyes. Russia immediately restrained Latvia, though it was clear that everyone was surprised about what was happening.

"Sleepers," Prussia whispered.

In the confusion, New Zealand removed a small sphere from his pocket. He strode over to Prussia and grabbed him, before activating the sphere. There was a flash, and the two of them arrived at Vatican's house. New Zealand immediately tackled Prussia to the ground.

"Get off of me," Prussia gritted out.

New Zealand could sense movement in the background, and knew that Vatican in the others were reacting to their arrival. New Zealand simply smirked down at Prussia.

"You're a member of Alvora, aren't you?" New Zealand asked.

Prussia faltered, before he narrowed his eyes.

"How did you figure it out?" he demanded.

"Body language," New Zealand said simply. "And it was a wild guess, actually."

Prussia continued to struggle, but San Marino and Vatican moved to help New Zealand. They all jumped when they heard a gunshot, and Prussia went limp.

"A little more preparation needed to be in order," Malta sighed.

"Sorry," New Zealand said. "I was improvising. Permanent or temporary?"

"Temporary. So, he's Alvora? Feli should be happy."

New Zealand grinned when he heard that.

"Yes, he should be _very_ happy to hear that," he said. "I've also got some other news to share with him."

They needed to deal with Mongolia as well.

…

Andorra was in his room. He heard a commotion downstairs, but he did not move. He wanted to stay as far away from a member of Requiem as possible. The others understood, and he was grateful for that.

But it was clear that things weren't going as smoothly as they'd hoped. It was only supposed to be one of them, but it sounded as though the other nations were having trouble.

He _wanted_ to help if that was the case, but every time the thought crossed his mind, he would receive a flashback from the time he was Requiem's prisoner. The things they did to him… And what if New Zealand decided to use the trigger phrase? He didn't want to hurt any of the others, especially Spain and France.

He was caught between his fear for his family, and his fear of Requiem.

…

It took them a while, but they finally managed to subdue Taiwan and Latvia. The two were lying unconscious on the ground, but no one knew how to proceed from there.

"Well," Turkey said, finally breaking the tense silence. "I think I believe you now."

Australia and Saudi Arabia nodded their heads. Though they were still confused, none of them could say that the others were lying to them.

"What just happened?" Saudi asked, motioning to the unconscious nations.

"We found out that Requiem has sleeper agents," France said. "It would seem that Latvia and Taiwan are victims of their manipulations."

China clenched his jaw, and even Russia had a cold look on his face. Hong Kong was nursing a swollen cheek, while Ukraine was tending to Estonia's injuries.

"If they did to Taiwan what they did to Andorra…" China muttered.

"Is that why he looked so nervous?" Saudi asked.

"Unfortunately," Spain said.

"…Where's Gilbert?" France asked, looking around.

The others all looked around, but it became clear that Prussia was no longer there.

"And, of course, New Zealand's gone," Australia said. "I guess it makes sense. Kiribati's been avoiding him lately, and apparently her magic's been awakened. How did he do it?"

"We're not sure," Spain sighed. "We're still learning about all of this. But… What would they want with Prussia? New Zealand could have gone for anyone."

Mongolia sighed in frustration, looking decidedly uncomfortable.

"…Prussia is a member of Alvora," Mongolia admitted.

"Why didn't you say anything?" China asked challengingly.

"I wasn't about to oust someone sitting right there, especially since you didn't exactly trust me yet. And he also threatened me not to tell you. He was already angry that I revealed Lithuania's role in all of this to you."

Russia cocked his head to the side.

"Prussia and Lithuania?" he asked. "Considering their history, I didn't think that it would be possible."

"This is all so messed up," Australia said.

"But I suppose that it makes sense that you would like stronger, more influential nations involved," Saudi sighed. "So, who else is involved that we should know of?"

"On Requiem's side are Greece and Egypt," France said.

"You have _got_ to be kidding me,"Turkey groaned.

"Israel's on Alvora's side," China said.

Saudi blinked a bit in surprise, but said nothing else.

"…I need to go check on Andorra," Spain said, looking towards the ceiling. "Sorry about this, but after everything…"

"We understand," France said. "We'll continue to explain the situation to the others."

…

Italy listened to New Zealand's report, his lips pursed together in a grim line.

"We'll definitely need to deal with Mongolia," he said. "But I'm glad you're okay. And you managed to capture an Alvoran! Finally!"

New Zealand chuckled on the other side.

"I think we need to celebrate," he said.

"We're coming over to Angelo's house," Italy announced. "Alvora already knows the location of this base, and seeing as two different members are in our custody, they _will_ investigate this location."

"Then it would seem that we'll be able to celebrate _very_ soon. But what are we going to do regarding Prussia?"

"We're taking him to the Washroom, of course. I'll tell Egypt to go fetch him. Hehe, I'm actually looking forward to seeing how Portugal will retaliate _this_ time."

As long as he didn't retaliate against New Zealand, of course.


	53. Chapter 52

**Thanks to AquaEclipse and Eternal Nexus Warrior for reviewing.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 52**

Portugal was surprised when he saw that the person calling him was Spain. Knowing that his brother was still a bit suspicious of him, he realised that it wasn't a social call. Something had happened, and Antonio felt it important to share the information with him.

"Did something happen?" he immediately asked.

"You're a bit paranoid," Spain said. "But, si, something happened. You see… We invited a Requiem nation here, _knowing_ that he was a member of Requiem. We were hoping to capture him and push him for information."

Portugal had actually been informed about this.

"I'm going to assume that it didn't go well," he said.

"He took Gilbert."

Portugal froze when he heard those words.

"W-what?" Portugal asked.

"I'm going to assume that he's the reason why you weren't so surprised when I called," Spain said. "You already knew that I knew. He's a member of Alvora, isn't he?"

"…Mongolia told you, didn't he?"

"You even know about that," Spain muttered. "Whatever. I'm a little angry that you used one of the people I _thought_ was my best friend to spy on me!"

"First of all, your friendship with Gilbert is real. He cares about you, and he would sometimes feel guilty about keeping the secret from you. Second, I didn't leave him there to _spy_ on you. I left him there to _protect_ you. Antonio… I saw what Requiem has in mind for you. I'm _not_ going to let you suffer like that!"

"If you know, then let me see those notes for myself!"

"Fine, but first tell me how is your Latin? Or Italian? Or Italian Vulgar Latin? And how good are you at reading these languages _backwards_? Because _that's_ how they made sure that no one other than them would read it. It took us a while to translate, and we're _still_ busy with translations."

There was silence on the other end, and Portugal sighed in frustration.

"Thank you for telling me about Gilbert," Portugal said. "India's also been captured, so we're looking for him too. And Wales is under lockdown. I know that you realise that Scotland and Northern Ireland are probably in danger, what with having two brothers on opposing sides with them, but Will and Ireland reached an agreement that involved neither attacking nor informing the others. As long as they're in the dark, we can be sure that they're safe."

"…Do you know what happened to Norway and Sweden?" Spain asked.

"I know that they were attacked by Denmark, and that Iceland turned out to be a sleeper."

"Did you know that their royal families were executed?"

Portugal fell silent.

"…Denmark wants to revive the Kalmar Union," he said. "It makes sense that he would want to destroy their monarchies. It makes them dependent on him."

"Any news on Tibet?" Spain asked.

"Raj was supposed to rescue him, along with Bangladesh and Myanmar, but they failed."

"Bangladesh and Myanmar are also members?"

"No. They're protectorates. After Nepal took Bhutan, we took those two under protective custody. But they wanted to save Tibet, and… I know that their fates are on my head."

"You allow your protectorates to do what they want?"

"Of course. If it's something they feel strongly about, then they have the right to do it. Even if it's potentially dangerous."

"…Is there anything else you'd like to tell me?"

Portugal hesitated for a moment. How much did he dare tell his brother? On one hand, it could help bring him to his side, completely. On the other, it could give them more information than they could afford.

"We found a facility where Requiem keeps several nations," Portugal said. "We extracted three of them. But they used some sort of magic that makes it impossible for any of us to remember _where_ the facility is. One of the nations was lobotomised, and another said that the three we had to leave behind were beyond saving. They were stripped of their humanity."

Spain gasped on the other end, and Portugal sighed. He knew that the news was upsetting. After all, something like that _couldn't_ be allowed.

"It sounds a lot like what Nicolás described," Spain said.

"…Gilbert told me about what Requiem did to him," Portugal said. "How is he?"

"He's still a bit shaken. But… I think the facility you described… it might be the same place they sent Nicolás."

Portugal thought about it. He thought about what Prussia had told him about Andorra's predicament. And the word that Lithuania had reported to him.

"The Washroom," he muttered. "Of course. A facility for _brainwashing_. That's what they were doing."

"Miguel, the way Nicolás reacted…" Spain said softly. "Just what did they _do_ to them?"

"I don't know. And I hope to never find out."

He knew that it was _very_ important to rescue India and Prussia. Knowing what Requiem was capable of… it was only a matter of time before they did the unspeakable to one of his allies.

…

Egypt was on the phone, listening to the person on the other side. For the moment, India received a reprieve. His fingers would still twitch on occasion, and he was pretty sure his hair was singed. _Something_ had definitely burned.

"Alright," Egypt said. "I'll use a spell to bring him here. I'll give Zeal the instructions."

Who were they bringing? India knew that he should care more, but he was in too much pain to really give it a thought.

Egypt ended the call before turning to India.

"Well, looks like you're not going to be too lonely," he said.

"What are you t-talking about?" India asked, his mouth momentarily failing him.

"New Zealand managed to capture Prussia."

India froze when he heard that. One of his allies…

He struggled, ignoring the pain doing so brought.

"Don't you dare!" he shouted.

"Don't dare _what_?" Egypt asked in amusement. "Tell me, do you have any idea where we are?"

India glared, but he couldn't say, since he didn't actually _know_. It was definitely in one of their countries, though. After a few seconds of silence, Egypt smirked in amusement.

"We're in what we call 'The Washroom'," Egypt explained. "It's a facility specifically designed for brainwashing."

India faltered a bit when he heard that, and his eyes narrowed.

"And that's what you intend to do to _me_ when this is over," India said. "You're going to fill my head with your ideals."

"Sadly, no," Egypt said. "It would be interesting, and we _have_ been meaning to get one of you here for that purpose. But that's not what's going to happen to _you_. It would defeat the purpose of Palestine and Pakistan torturing you. No, we're bringing _Prussia_ here."

India felt a cold chill run down his spine, and he automatically started to struggle again.

"You understand," Egypt said. "We're going to make one of your friends forget he was ever one of you to begin with. We'll tell him that _you're_ the ones that killed his darling little brother. And we'll even make him want to rip out the heart of his lover, once we find out who it is."

"Don't you dare!" India shouted. "Don't you dare! Why?! Why do you enjoy _doing_ this?!"

"Because I _can_ ," Egypt said. "No one has the power to tell me that I can or can't do something, with the exception of my cousins. I owe them for this opportunity. For the first time, _I_ can be the one to tell other nations what to do. _I_ can be the one crushing everything about them. _I_ can be the one to decide their fate. _I_ can be the one forcing _my_ will on them."

India shook his head, biting his lip as tears of frustration leaked from his eyes. He winced as Egypt grabbed a fistful of his hair, forcing him to pay close attention to him.

"It's a shame Israel can't see your face now," Egypt said. "But don't worry, there will be many opportunities. For now, I'm going to bring your friend here, where he'll be stripped of his identity and humanity, and where he'll be tortured and driven to insanity, and he'll be taught to hate all of you. His greatest desire will be to destroy each and every one of you."

India didn't know what to say, so he responded the only way he knew how to.

He spat in Egypt's face.

Egypt flinched a bit, before he drew back. His expression was unreadable, and India was aware of the fact that he might have made things worse for himself. But there was no way he was going to sit down passively. That time was long over.

He tensed when Egypt picked up the control again, before turning the dial as high as it would go.

With one more press of a button, India was left screaming in pain.

…

North Korea fell back on the bed, exhausted. There were two reasons why Border Control was considered a last resort: it was ethically questionable, and it was physically draining.

And so, when Portugal requested it, North was naturally surprised. Until he found out _why_. He, like the others, had heard about India being tortured, and a video of that torture being sent to Israel. Requiem was hurting one of their own, and they were _mocking_ them.

"Are you okay?"

North gave a lazy smile, before snuggling up to Wales. The other nation had taken the opportunity to come for a visit, after explaining his current situation. Thankfully, it seemed as though Wales was safe, for a while at least.

"I'll be fine," North said, before he yawned. "I just need to rest a while."

He chuckled lightly when he felt Wales place a soft kiss on his forehead. It would be torture, only being able to spend two hours at a time together. So, the two of them would have to make the two hours count.

…

Lithuania frowned when he noticed that Portugal was calling him. In light of the news regarding India, it didn't make him feel comfortable that the leader was calling him. He had a bad feeling about this. But still, he couldn't ignore Portugal, so he answered the phone.

"Miguel, is something wrong?" he asked.

"Sim," Portugal sighed. "I'm sorry. Spain just called me. Gilbert… has also been captured by Requiem."

Lithuania's eyes widened, and his hand started shaking.

"A-are you sure?" he demanded. "W-what happened?"

"Did Gil tell you that they kind of invited New Zealand there?"

"T-taip."

Lithuania listened as Portugal explained what had happened, feeling his anger grow.

…

"So, we have _no_ idea where Philippines took Singapore?" Malaysia sighed.

The South-East Asians had all returned to Malaysia's house, searching for information on Philippines and Singapore. But so far, they were out of luck. What made it worse was the fact that they were all worried about India, and were considering going to his previous location to search for clues.

Accompanying them were their African lovers: Sierra Leone, Cabo Verde and Guinea Bissau. They were nervous about separating, especially after Timor was injured by Philippines. And now, hearing what was happening with India and Israel, they were even more nervous about separating.

And Brunei was starting to get annoyed. He was basically the third wheel among three couples. It was a bit annoying. But at least they weren't too lovey-dovey around him, with the exception of Cabo Verde being a bit coddling towards Timor, but considering the latter was still injured, he could forgive them.

"Let's face it," Timor said. "We're stuck."

"And we've been abusing the magical nations enough," Indonesia added. "Any idea what to do _now_?"

Malaysia was silent for a moment. Sierra reached out and took his hand, gently squeezing it. He squeezed back, before he sighed.

"…We all know that Requiem took Raj," he said. "I think… it's time for us to return the favour."

They all straightened when they heard that.

"In other words, we need to capture a Requiem nation," Cabo Verde said.

"And how are we going to do _that_?" Sierra Leone asked. "It would be best if we could ambush them, and it would be best if they're alone. That would be Philippines. But we don't know _where_ Philippines is."

"We could always try our luck with New Zealand," Timor pointed out.

"The problem is, he's with the Oceanic nations, and we don't want to raise alarms there," Malaysia sighed.

At that moment, Malaysia's phone rang, and he quickly answered it.

"Any news on Raj?" Malaysia asked.

Based on the question, Brunei was going to assume that it was another Alvora nation.

Malaysia frowned, before he excused himself. Sierra followed after him in worry. Brunei still felt that it was a bit strange that the two of them were dating.

They were waiting in silence for a moment, and when Malaysia eventually returned, he had a tight expression on his face. It looked as though he was trying to hold back his anger.

"What happened?" Timor asked. "Another video?"

"No," Malaysia said. "Gilbert was with France's group. They called the rest of the G20 nations, including Australia. But they were aware of the fact that the Oceanic nations were together, and that included New Zealand. They didn't feel comfortable with the idea of leaving New Zealand with the other islands, so they told him to come along. They intended it to be a trap. But it turns out that there were sleepers there. New Zealand used them as a distraction and he got away with a nation. Gilbert."

"What?!" everyone demanded.

"You're saying that Requiem got _another_ one of us?" Indonesia demanded.

"Poor Toris," Guinea Bissau said. "We need to _do_ something."

"I told Miguel of our suggestion to capture one of them to return the favour," Malaysia said. "He _agrees_."

They all knew what it meant. Portugal wasn't usually in the habit of reacting like that, and it was enough to convince them of the gravity of the situation. Two of Alvora's nations were captured. And so far, the only victory they'd had against Requiem was that they managed to get out of these situations.

They needed to do something. Fast.

Even though Brunei was still a bit of an outsider, he could see the loyalty these nations had for each other. The anger they displayed when one of them was threatened was something that impressed him. And he wanted to be a part of it.

Not getting angry, of course. He wanted to have someone be this angry on his behalf in the event of him being threatened in some way. It seemed nice to have someone that cared about him so much. Perhaps…

"Akmal, could I speak to you for a moment?" Brunei asked.

Malaysia looked surprised, but he nodded his head. The two of them left the room, and Malaysia cocked his head to the side as he crossed his arms.

"What is it?" he asked.

"I was wondering…" Brunei started. "Could I, perhaps, join you guys? Officially?"

Malaysia looked surprised. He frowned in confusion, shifting his posture somewhat.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"I don't want to just be along for the ride," Brunei explained. "And I don't want to be considered a protectorate. I want to be a member of Alvora. I want to be one of your equals."

Malaysia widened his eyes.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"I don't want to be an afterthought," Brunei continued to explain. "I've seen how loyal you are to each other. I've _never_ seen nations share loyalty like this. And I want to be a part of it. It looks… nice."

Malaysia chuckled, seemingly finally understanding what he was trying to say.

"I see," he said. "And would you like to find romance, while we're at it?"

Brunei blushed a bit at that.

"That's not exactly my intention," he said. "Though it would be nice to not be single while you're all giving me diabetes."

Malaysia burst out into laughter at that.

"That's a good way to describe it," Malaysia said. "I guess it's a bit uncomfortable."

"And I guess that's a bit of an understatement," Brunei said.

Malaysia grinned.

"It's good to see your sense of humour is back," he said. "It's been a while since I've seen it. And… In case you're wondering, we've got several new members without a significant other."

"I'm not going to let you play matchmaker!" Brunei snapped.

Malaysia chuckled again.

"All joking aside," Malaysia said, clapping a hand on his shoulder, "welcome to the club."

…

South Korea gritted his teeth in annoyance as he went to the main room. He had just started torturing Tibet again when he felt a disturbance in his country. He tried to ignore it at first, but as the disturbance spread, he started to feel pain. And after a while, it became clear to him that he wouldn't be able to focus.

He stumbled in the room, where he saw Egypt in a kneeling position. The North African glanced at him briefly before closing his eyes again.

"I see you're in pain," he said.

"Nice of you to be worried," South snapped.

"Italy told me about it. Hungary and Bulgaria were hurt as well. It's something that Alvora can do. The fact that they're _willing_ to do it is actually a victory for us. And I assume that you were targeted because of the video you sent of India."

South grimaced at that.

"Then maybe we should ask India about what it is," South said.

"I already tried," Egypt said, a twinge of annoyance crossing his face. "He's very tight-lipped. I have to admit, I'm actually impressed."

South rolled his eyes at that.

"We'll need to break his spirit somehow," South said.

"Well, India isn't our only priority," Egypt said, before something started to glow in front of him.

South watched as the light started to take shape, before fading away.

"Prussia?" South asked.

Egypt smirked.

"Another Alvora nation," he said.


	54. Chapter 53

**Thanks to AquaEclipse for reviewing.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 53**

Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia were processing the information that they had been given. About an hour ago, Finland and Poland had arrived at the door. An odd couple, to be sure. And then they found out that they were actually a _couple_ , and that left the other three speechless for a while longer.

And then they told them about two groups who've been operating in secret.

Azerbaijan looked between the two. It didn't _look_ as though they were lying, but it was still unbelievable. Conspiracies like this just _couldn't_ exist between nations.

"This is insane," Georgia said.

The two nations might have butted heads on several occasions, but Azerbaijan had to agree with Georgia for once.

"It's unfortunately the truth," Finland sighed. "We apologise for deceiving you all for so long, but you have to understand that we had our reasons."

Azerbaijan glanced towards Armenia. Her opinion on the matter would decide how he proceeded from this. Georgia was also looking in Armenia's direction.

Contrary to popular belief, Azerbaijan and Georgia's rivalry had nothing to do with politics or history. It had _everything_ to do with Armenia. It was simple: two men fighting for the attention of the same woman.

Not even Armenia was aware of the reason behind their rivalry, and the two of them intended to keep it that way. They realised that she would be _furious_ when she found out. She, like most of the female nations, had suffered from male arrogance. Some of them were _still_ dealing with male arrogance. She would, of course, see their arguing over her as them seeing her as a prize to be won. It would _not_ be pretty for either of them.

"And why exactly did you come to _us_?" Armenia asked. "I mean, you've kept it secret for so long. There has to be a reason why you decided to tell us."

That was actually a good point. Azerbaijan turned his attention back to Poland and Finland.

"We wish to make you protectorates," Finland explained. "We've seen what Requiem does to nations under their control, or should we say, nations who are their prisoners. Algeria, Nigeria and Sudan are among their prisoners."

The three shifted nervously when they heard that. Of course, news reports had delivered information regarding the state of affairs in those countries. It wasn't even political or civil unrest. One of the news sites actually used the words 'demonic influence' to describe what was happening there.

"You've got to be kidding me," Georgia whispered.

Azerbaijan noticed something else in that moment. Poland looked to be a little pale, and it almost looked as though he was about to be sick.

"Are you okay?" Azerbaijan asked.

Finland frowned, before he turned his attention to Poland. He widened his eyes in shock.

"Feliks?" he prompted.

"E-earthquake in L-Lithuania," Poland explained.

Said nation's phone rang, and he quickly answered it, moving a bit away so as not to appear rude. Still, all eyes were on Poland.

"What?" he whispered. "So, that explains… Tell one of the Africans to take care of Toris right now!"

Azerbaijan knew that Toris was the human name of Lithuania. But… why would Lithuania be with the Africans? Even if they were part of the same organisation, wouldn't geographic regions stay together?

Poland returned not long after, looking even paler. He turned his gaze to Finland.

"That was Miguel," he explained. "Requiem took Gilbert."

Finland gasped, and Azerbaijan noticed that he clenched his fist. Finland's face hardened, and he turned to the others.

"Lithuania and Prussia are in a relationship," Finland explained. "And Prussia was just captured by the enemy. The same enemy who'd captured and tortured Sao Tomé and India. We're still trying to get India back."

"Hold on a moment," Armenia said, raising her hands. "Lithuania and Prussia? I thought they hated each other?"

"It was more a case of attraction without realising what it was," Poland said. "But Toris is upset enough that he's subconsciously caused an earthquake in his country. I could only feel the aftershocks, but…"

"We need to find Raj and Gilbert," Finland said, nodding his head. He turned back to the other three. "Requiem is dangerous, and we'd appreciate it if you let us protect you."

Georgia and Azerbaijan looked towards Armenia, something that did not go unnoticed by her.

"Why do you keep looking my way?!" she asked, her voice rising in pitch as her annoyance grew.

The two males looked away, faces red. Azerbaijan was surprised to see a knowing look on Poland's face. Did Poland know about the situation?

"I think we need to think about it," Armenia sighed at last. "Because apparently these two idiots are unable to think on their own and need _me_ to do it for them."

Azerbaijan's blush darkened. Yep, she was annoyed.

"Alright then," Finland said, standing up. "We'll give you some time to mull things over. In the meantime, I suggest you find a safe place to stay. If we could find you, then Requiem can find you."

"Also, I totally wouldn't recommend you calling anyone," Poland said. "Like, you never know if it's someone from Requiem."

Azerbaijan shuddered. While the things they said about the other group were frightening and didn't seem real, there was a note of seriousness that made him believe that it was the truth. They weren't lying.

"Alright," Armenia said. "Where are you going?"

"To the next nation," Finland said. "If you change your minds, go to Romania's house."

…

Greenland quickly checked the room with Algeria, before turning her attention back to Prussia's room. He had been brought to the silent room, where he would have nothing but the contents of his mind for company. But it wouldn't work until he woke up.

It was annoying, but they had no choice.

She turned her attention to Nigeria's room, seeing that he was resorting to self-harm. He had already gauged out his own eyes. It might be necessary to put him under for the time being.

She turned her attention to Sudan. He was rocking himself back and forth. It would seem that, at his core, he was one of the gentler souls.

That was one of the reasons why they stripped away their victims' humanities: to see what lay in their cores. Those that sank into themselves were the gentle souls. They needed a complete reprogramming in order to be useful for their organisation. The alternative was to turn them into sleepers, but at this point in time, it would be pointless to have another sleeper. And besides, DRC and Uganda would be the best bets for something like that. Those that resorted to attacking whoever was in sight, including themselves, but who did not resort to cannibalism when starved and given someone to eat, were the ones that were more than likely to turn into sadists. And those that _did_ resort to cannibalism were the ones that would do anything for the sake of survival. These nations were _definitely_ sadists, and who could be rendered unhinged. So, not only would they be sadists, but they would be _creative_ sadists.

She wondered if she should play matchmaker while she was at it. That was how Somalia and Ethiopia got together in the first place, after all, along with others. She looked between the three of them, weighing her options. Did she want opposites to attract, or having them be birds of a feather flocking together?

Her attention was drawn to the front door. She still couldn't understand how Alvora managed to get past them. Someone was landing nearby.

She was informed of the fact that Somalia and Ethiopia would be sent as extra security, and was a bit upset by the fact that it was necessary. It was Italy and Romano's subtle way of saying that they had failed.

Which made the actual knowledge of the failure even harder to deal with.

She also wondered what the two African nations did to earn a trip to the Washroom, since it wasn't exactly their favourite place in terms of temperature. They would also need to keep a close eye on them, in case they remembered anything of their first trip to this place. It would result in damage control, and she wasn't in the mood to do it.

But surprisingly, it wasn't the two African nations. It was Argentina and Mexico, looking just as happy as the Africans would have been. They were carrying the unconscious form of Belize between them.

She knew that Belize was a nation possessing dormant magic, which should have been awakened by now. It would seem that they hadn't succeeded in swaying him to their side.

She winced. It was always risky to have anyone there with even the smallest amount of magic. A lot of drugs were involved, for starters, and they had to use anti-magic subliminal tones, and the type of magic involved would determine everything. And that required trial and error.

 _Fun_.

Greenland sighed, before searching the cameras for Faroe Island. The two of them needed to do some preparation.

…

Haiti and Sao Tomé were watching Lithuania. The European nation didn't seem as though he knew what to do. One moment he was wringing his hands nervously, and the next he was punching the wall. His fists were both bloody by now, but it didn't look as though he even realised it. He kept pacing, and his face twisted in a mask that combined anxiety, fear, worry and anger.

Watching him, Haiti pulled Sao Tomé closer. Haiti of course understood perfectly what Lithuania was feeling. Not too long ago, he felt it as well.

Which was why Haiti had already sent a few spirits to search for Prussia, along with India. However, there was nothing he could do but wait, for now.

He also needed to recast the protection spell on the other Caribbean nations. The spell was going to wear off soon, and he didn't want to know what Jamaica would do to them. He also didn't want to know what Jamaica had been telling them.

…Perhaps it was necessary for him to return to the other Caribbeans. He didn't want to leave Sao Tomé's side, but he also didn't want to leave his friends and family at the mercy of Jamaica. Not after what they demonstrated they would be willing to do.

Eventually, though, Haiti could no longer stand seeing his friend and ally like this. He pulled away from Sao Tomé and approached Lithuania.

"Toris," he called out, grabbing Lithuania by the shoulder. "We _will_ find Gilbert. Just like how we found Tiago."

Lithuania looked ready to snap at him, but it seemed as though the realisation hit him that he was confronted with someone who had been in a similar position a few days ago. With that realisation, Lithuania broke down into tears. Haiti wrapped him in a hug, which Lithuania returned.

"I'm scared," Lithuania whispered. "If they're doing to Gilbert what they're doing to Raj…"

"I know," Haiti muttered. "I've already sent out feelers. We _will_ find them both."

Sao Tomé approached as well, placing his hand on Lithuania's shoulder. The island nation didn't say anything, but it wasn't necessary. They just needed to show Lithuania that they were there for him.

…

Jamaica was getting frustrated. He had nothing to _do_. The others liked to go to the beach, or have parties, or other, meaningless things. He couldn't touch them to have his own brand of fun.

Well, he _had_ other ideas.

He could influence his people, even the ones living in other countries. And through them, he'd caused a little… unrest. Dominica was currently dealing with a new serial killer, St Lucia had a serial vandal, Barbados was dealing with an entire city being covered in trash…

That last one was because he was _seriously_ getting bored.

But for Haiti… Haiti he could remotely torture as much as possible. He'd already ordered an assassination on the president, only to find out that the government was shut down, and certain people were taking care of the country behind the scenes.

Dominican Republic even announced that he had noticed an increase in quality of life from Haiti. A quick check online also showed that the GDP's improved.

Alvoran nations were annoying, since they couldn't be dealt with in the same way they dealt with other nations.

Jamaica might need to think about using a bit more magic against Haiti. Or perhaps Sao Tomé? The two of them were in a relationship, after all.

Yes… now that he thought about it, a few ideas were coming to mind.

…

Bulgaria snuggled into Ireland's side, sighing contentedly. His head still felt a bit heavy after the attack from earlier, but it was getting better. He still wanted to know how it was accomplished, and why it had hurt him. Also, why there was this lingering feeling of being violated.

A phone alarm went off, and Bulgaria groaned as Ireland moved to answer it. The British nation sighed as he forced himself into a sitting position.

"My two hours are almost up," Ireland said. "I need to get going."

"Two hours are too short," Bulgaria whined. "Why did you say two hours, anyway?"

"Because neither of us were willing to give the other enough time to cause damage," Ireland sighed. "Do you think you'll be okay? How are you feeling?"

Bulgaria shrugged.

"I'm feeling better," he muttered.

Ireland smiled, before kissing him on top of the head. Bulgaria gave a small smile at the affectionate action.

"I'll miss you," Bulgaria said.

"I know," Ireland said. "I'll miss you too. I'll see if I can arrange to come tonight. And I'm definitely coming tomorrow."

Bulgaria grinned when he heard that, and he hugged Ireland. The other nation hugged him back, before he patted him on the head.

"I hate it when you do that," Bulgaria muttered.

"No, you don't," Ireland said.

The two were silent for a while.

"Hungary, if you're listening, go away right now!" Bulgaria shouted.

"Dammit!" they heard a muffled voice from the other side of the door.

Ireland had made it clear that he wasn't allowed to interact with anyone from Requiem other than Bulgaria, so he couldn't have told Hungary to leave. It _was_ usually Ireland who chased her off, but Bulgaria wasn't impressed with Hungary's voyeuristic tendencies either.

A lot of the male nations in Requiem had joked in the past that the thing that ultimately convinced Hungary to join them was the sheer number of male nations in a relationship with each other. It was actually very likely, and their honest opinions.

Ireland winced, and he pulled away from Bulgaria.

"My time's up," he said. "I have to leave before I have to pay the fine for breaking the contract."

Bulgaria nodded in understanding. He was by no means an expert on magic, but from what little he understood, it was best not to challenge a contract.

"Come back soon," he said.

"You can be sure I will," Ireland responded.

…

Burkina Faso was exploring the area. She always believed that it was a good idea to have a good feel of your surroundings. Hiding places and exits were especially important to know.

She came to a stop when she heard a rumble, and out of curiosity, she started following the sound. As she came closer, she could also feel the earth vibrate beneath her feet. She felt a bit worried, especially when the light ended. She stopped, not daring to go closer.

She yelped when a light suddenly turned on in the darkness, and there was another surprised voice further ahead.

"Kak!"

She recognised that particular expletive, and peered into the light as her eyes adjusted.

"White?" she asked. "What are you doing here?"

She could see that White South Africa currently deserved the colour association. She'd never seen the other female look so pale before. She was also shining a bit, and judging by the way the clothes clung to her and the damp hair in disarray, she was drenched in sweat. She was also panting a bit.

"Renovations," White simply explained, leaning against the dirt wall.

Burkina frowned, before taking a closer look at the walls. The tunnel she had been following had smooth walls, but the section with White had rough walls. The scent of upturned dirt was also clear in the air, and considering White's physical state…

"Did you do this yourself?" Burkina asked.

White nodded tiredly.

"A nation can manipulate their very land," she explained. "It takes a lot of practice, and most of us don't bother."

"Did you… this entire place… did you make it yourself?" Burkina asked.

White nodded her head, a lazy, proud smile on her face.

"Impressive," Burkina said, admiring the walls again. "How do you get the walls so smooth?"

"Practice," White said. "I'm actually going to add some rock tiles to both the floor and the walls. I just need to make some extra room first, in case more people come here."

She'd noticed that the tiles had stopped. Burkina looked towards White with awe.

"Teach me how to do this," she said.

White released all her breath, and with the way she slightly crumpled, it almost looked as though she was deflating.

"…On one condition," she said.

Burkina tensed when she heard that. She hated hearing those words. They usually resulted in trouble for her.

"Yes?" she prompted, mentally preparing herself for some dangerous task.

"There's a fridge in the kitchen full of water bottles," White explained, throwing an empty bottle to her. "Put that bottle on the top of the fridge and bring me two extra bottles."

Burkina blinked a bit. Fetching a bottle of water. That wasn't so bad. And actually, seeing the state White was in, she should have figured that that would have been the request she'd make.

"Of course," Burkina Faso said, turning around and walking back, hoping that she didn't get lost.


	55. Chapter 54

**Thanks to AquaEclipse for reviewing.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 54**

It took a few minutes, but Burkina Faso finally managed to find the kitchen. She did as White asked, placing the empty bottle on top of the fridge and removing two bottles. When she turned around again, she jumped when she realised that she was no longer alone.

"Merde!" she exclaimed, panting a bit. "Don't _do_ that."

Black shrugged.

"Sorry," he said. "Is that for Anika?"

She nodded her head.

"She asked me to get her some water, in exchange for teaching me the technique of manipulating my country," she explained.

"If you want to manipulate your people, you can do it remotely," Black said. "If you want to manipulate your _land_ , you have to physically be in your country."

Her shoulders drooped when she heard that, but soon shrugged.

"I can at least learn how to do it," she said. "Can _you_ do it?"

"Of course," he said, his voice containing the indicator that he had taken offence. "It's just a bit more difficult for Anika and I to do it, seeing as we share the same country."

At first she didn't understand what it was supposed to mean, but it soon clicked.

"You're saying it's harder for half-nations?" she asked.

Black nodded.

"Others find it easier, since traditionally the half-nations are split by geography," he said. "Since Anika and I are divided by ethnicity, it's a bit more difficult. We have different rules to follow."

She remembered what White looked like in the tunnel. How pale she looked. Burkina bit her lip.

"Why don't you help her with this place?" she asked. "This is your country too, right?"

"This is also Anika's pet project," he said. "She won't appreciate it if I interfere. She prefers taking on her projects on her own. The only person she's likely to accept help from is Roberto."

She nodded in understanding, before looking down at the bottles.

"I need to take this to her," she said.

"Good idea," Black said, nodding. "She'll need it by now."

…

Botswana was outside their current base, working on a drawing. The mermaid that dwelt in this area, Eporia, was kind enough to pose for him. This was an opportunity that he wasn't going to allow to slip though his fingers. After all, how many artists could say that an _actual_ mermaid posed for them?

He _really_ needed to thank White for this opportunity.

He knew that the others were searching for India, and he was surprised that they hadn't approached him by now. Because he would say yes. He would always say yes.

He hated being abused for his abilities, but he didn't mind if Alvora used him to find their allies. He had originally offered, after all. But he was still tired. He'd used his magical abilities more frequently than he'd ever used them in the past.

Botswana had been doing some thinking lately. He wondered… would it be so bad to truly be a part of Alvora? It was better than being Requiem's prisoner, that was for sure.

He frowned as he noticed a mistake, and quickly rubbed it out. He needed to concentrate on the drawing. And when he was finished – when he was _ready_ – he'd help them find India.

…

Slovenia shot Bulgaria a knowing look when the other left his room. The other Balkan did his best to ignore the look.

Slovenia was now the only one that hadn't seen his lover in a while. Bulgaria had a short visit, but at least he had a visit. And Hungary and Belarus were doing… something in one of the bedrooms. Slovenia wasn't going to spend a lot of time thinking about it.

Instead, he made his way to his own room and picked up his cell phone, dialling the familiar number.

"I was wondering when you were going to call," the voice on the other side said.

Slovenia grinned.

"You know me so well, Angelo," he said. "So, any idea when you could come? I don't think I can leave Bosnia and the others here alone."

"You _could_ always come _here_ ," Vatican said. "I have a big enough place, and Feli and Lovi are coming here as well. This is going to be our new base of operations."

Slovenia's shoulders fell.

"That means that you can't come over here," he said.

"Unfortunately," Vatican sighed. "But, if _you_ come and if you bring Bosnia with you… We might be able to properly influence him. Together."

"I'll discuss it with the others. So, anything else happened recently?"

…

When Burkina Faso found White again, she assumed that the other woman was fast asleep. If so, she didn't want to bother her. But White's eyes snapped open, and she trained her gaze on Burkina.

"I brought the water," Burkina said, handing one of the bottles to White.

She couldn't say that she'd ever seen a bottle of water drain so fast. She held out the second one, but White shook her head.

"I'll need it in a while," she said, pushing herself to her feet. "Alright, so we've done a bit of the hallway… I can show you how to do a room."

Burkina Faso nodded her head, and the two of them backtracked a little, before White came to a stop. She pressed a hand against the wall.

"A nation has the natural ability to sense every detail of their country," she explained. "And if you're close to the place you want to know the layout of, it's easier. It's a bit embarrassing to get lost in your own country."

Burkina winced. Yes, it _was_ embarrassing for it to happen.

"Since I've already created other rooms, I can use them as a template," White continued to explain. "We'll work on another bedroom now, so… Door…"

She narrowed her eyes, and Burkina watched as a rectangle was carved into the rock wall. It was the same size as all the other doors. She expected the dirt to crumble away, but it just… disappeared.

"Where did it go?" she asked.

"A nation can choose to completely remove something from their lands," White explained. "If you're working underground, it's especially useful. I have nowhere to send the dirt and rocks otherwise. When you do this, you need to remain focused on keeping the walls stable as well, or you might cause a cave-in. Since there are other people here now, it's especially important. Doing this section by section makes it easier."

Burkina nodded her head in understanding, absorbing the information.

"What you take can also be converted into something else," White continued her explanation. "Nations _can_ conjure something from nothing, but it takes concentration and energy. Having something you removed gives your very being extra resources to work with, and it takes less energy to create something."

"What do you mean by 'creating' something?" Burkina asked.

"Natural resources. Nations aren't just extensions of the people. We're also extensions of the land. And if mother nature can provide something, we can access it. Fruit, vegetables, minerals…"

White held out her hand, and Burkina's eyes widened when she saw a small sphere, growing larger and larger. Eventually, White was holding a nugget of gold, which she handed to Burkina.

"…I think that's cheating," she said.

"Maybe," White shrugged. "But it works."

Burkina watched as White slowly started construction on the room, and she realised that the other female was doing it in chunks so as not to expend too much energy in such a short time. The second bottle of water was drained before the room was finished.

When she was done with the room, White sat down and panted. Burkina sat down across from her.

"Would you like me to get you some more water?" she asked.

"Don't worry," White said, placing her hand on the top of the bottle.

Burkina watched in amazement as the bottle was filled with water.

"Why didn't you do it earlier?" she asked.

"Because I was hot and exhausted, and water made this way is room temperature," White explained, before she took several large gulps.

Burkina watched her for a moment, before taking the other empty bottle. She held her hand over it and frowned, thinking of water.

"It helps to visualise," White clarified. "If you can't think water, try thinking of a specific river."

Burkina Faso tried, and she could feel her frustration grow. She thought of gushing water and realised how thirsty she was. She was about to give up when she realised that there was a small trickle coming from the palm of her hand and falling into the bottle.

"I… I did it," she said. "Sort of."

"Baby steps," White said. "How do you feel?"

Burkina was confused, at least until she followed White back to her feet. As soon as she stood, she was hit by a wave of dizziness, followed by a wave of exhaustion. White quickly grabbed her.

"It happens a lot when you begin," White explained. "You'll get used to it."

Burkina nodded her head, and they waited a while before White released her. Once Burkina was sure that she could stand on her own feet, she nodded her head.

"Now that that's settled, we need to work on the walls, floor, ceiling and tiles," White said.

"How are we going to do _that_?" Burkina asked.

"By imagining the place as smooth as possible. First: Light."

Burkina jumped when the room brightened, and she looked up to see the lights that she'd seen throughout the base.

"Electrical wiring also happens in a nation's lands," White explained. "All it takes to manage it is to focus the wires on the place you want, and what you want to connect it to. Since it isn't raw material, it takes a lot more focus and energy. Because of this, most of the others don't even bother. But, if one took something away, like, say, tons of dirt and rock, and used _that_ energy, then it becomes a lot easier. I just have to picture the setup."

Burkina Faso blinked in surprise.

"If the others don't bother…" she started.

"Cable theft," White dismissed. "Because of our people, Black and I had to kick things up a notch. This place is solar powered, by the way. Panels outside."

Burkina Faso nodded her head. She knew about the electricity situation in South Africa, from Eskom's crap to cable theft. It would make sense that the two personifications would get annoyed with it all and resort to measures that would potentially drain them.

"And how are you making the lights?" she asked, gesturing up to the ceiling.

"I've designed all of the others," White said. "At this point, I'm merely copying."

Burkina Faso nodded. She then watched as everything became smooth, and White crouched down again.

"I still have a lot of reserves, so it's not a problem for me," White explained.

"Tell me something, is it possible to build a house like this?" Burkina asked.

White nodded.

"Smart," she remarked. "Ja, you can build anything. You can even build a castle, if you wish. This method is also great for famines. Replace building materials with crops… you can even focus on irrigation, if you wish."

Burkina was silent for a moment.

"Why has this never come up before?" she asked.

"Because most nations assume that the only real difference between us and humans is the fact that we're immortal," White said. "Not a lot of nations thought to try and experiment."

Burkina watched as, one by one, tiles appeared on the floor. White jerked her head to the side, and Burkina understood that she wanted her to move, and she watched as tiles filled the space where she had just stood. There was a small circle around White where the tiles hadn't appeared yet, and when everywhere else was filled, White moved so that the last tiles could be placed.

"…This is _really_ awesome," Burkina Faso said.

"You sound like Gilbert," White said idly, before looking around the room. "Floor, walls and ceiling are done… Now, we're moving on to the bed."

"You can even make beds?"

"Literally, yes. Though, I would recommend wood. It's not as tricky as any type of metal."

Burkina recalled the wooden bed in her own room, and nodded in understanding.

"Even the mattress?" she asked.

White paused, before she shook her head.

"You _can_ ," she said. "Just… I only have enough energy for the bed."

Burkina widened her eyes in realisation. Of course, White had been _exhausted_ earlier, and she had stressed a few times how much energy this entire process took…

"Sorry," she whispered.

White shook her head, before she smiled.

"One of Alvora's goals is to teach the other nations to be self-sufficient like this," she said. "To not suffer from poverty, or famine, or… or _anything_ that could be avoided. It's especially why we wanted to take in the African nations. We had the potential to be the richest… And we're the examples of poverty."

Burkina Faso winced, but there was a flutter in her heart when she realised that what White had been showing her… It had been her intention all along.

"Were you waiting for someone to find you?" Burkina asked.

White grinned.

"What do _you_ think the answer is?" she asked.

…

"I think it was a bit unfair," Sao Tomé remarked.

Haiti just shrugged his shoulders as he watched the sleeping Lithuania. He might have had to resort to magic, but it was necessary. Hopefully when Lithuania woke up, he would be a lot calmer. And hopefully, they would be able to find Prussia.

"Let's leave him to rest," Haiti said, wrapping his arm around Sao Tomé.

The other island gave a small smile, before wincing a bit. Haiti didn't notice as he led his lover outside.

…

India was desperately struggling against his bonds when the door opened again. He froze, anticipating another torture session. And considering Prussia was captured, there was also another chance for them to taunt him regarding the torment of his friend.

He narrowed his eyes when he saw Peru, who closed the door behind him.

"And what do _you_ want?" India asked.

"I just want to ask you something," Peru explained. "And trust me, this is information that you would _want_ to give me."

India scoffed.

"And how do you figure _that_?" he snapped.

"Because it could spare Garcia from pain," Peru said.

India stared at Peru for a while, trying to see if the other was lying. There was just something too _sincere_ about the other's eyes. Eventually, India sighed in defeat.

"Before I tell you _anything_ , tell me _what_ you're talking about," he said.

"I told Garcia that I wouldn't use the person closest to his heart against him," Peru explained. "His lover. I only asked him if he _has_ someone like that. I told him that he didn't have to tell me who it is. But if I want to make sure that I don't hurt him through this person, I need to know _who_ this person is."

India stared at Peru for a moment longer, before he muttered a curse under his breath, hoping that he wouldn't regret it.

"You made a promise like that without asking him who you shouldn't hurt?" India asked incredulously.

"My priority at the time was finding out whether or not my brother _had_ someone," Peru said irritably. "Believe it or not, I actually care about Garcia. Even if he didn't see things my way and I had to… hide him away somewhere, I wanted to make sure that he would at least be _happy_."

India sighed.

"I hope I won't regret this," he muttered. "Angola. He's with Angola."

Peru nodded his head.

"Thank you," he said quietly. "In return… you're probably hungry by now. I'll go get you something to eat."

India _did_ feel a little hungry, but it wasn't too bad. He would occasionally fast, mostly as preparation for a famine, and occasionally for religious reasons. He had been prepared to go for a while without food as part of the torture they would inflict on him.

Peru didn't wait for a response, and left India alone. The Asian nation sighed in relief as he managed to escape.

"Garcia, Angela, I hope this doesn't come back to haunt any of us," he muttered.

…

DRC groaned when he woke up. His head _hurt_. He had the vaguest feeling that he'd died, but what _happened_?

He could also sense that he wasn't alone, and he turned his attention to the side, where someone was waiting. This someone jumped to his feet.

"Mbo!" the other exclaimed. "You're awake! How are you?"

He stared at the other for a moment, and he narrowed his eyes.

"Who are you?" he asked.

The other's face fell, and a horrified light appeared in his eyes.

"You… you don't remember me?" he whispered. "Mpia."

The two names – Mbo and Mpia – stirred something in his memories, and he hissed.

"Brazzaville…" he whispered.

"That's right!" the other – Congo – exclaimed. "What… what did they _do_ to you?"

He shook his head, and Congo turned his attention to the door.

"I could… I could call for help," he said. "Let someone check you out or something."

DRC didn't answer, and Congo ran out of the room. He was surveying his surroundings when Congo returned, two people following behind.

He could immediately recognise the woman, and he felt a warm smile tugging his lips. However, the other man's presence made him frown. He was too close to her. He was invading her space.

"You're finally awake," Angola said. "How are you feeling? Mpia said that you have amnesia?"

He didn't immediately answer, looking between her and the other man. The man wrapped his arm around Angola, and DRC had to keep himself from scowling, settling for a frown instead.

"It would seem so," he said. "What happened? Could one of you please tell me?"

"We saved you from Requiem," Angola explained.

Saved him?

 **It took me a while to find names for the two Congos. I settled on names that apparently mean 'first born twin' and 'second born twin'. I checked the dates in which they gained independence from France and Belgium to figure out which one would be which. Both gained independence in 1960, so twins would be ideal in nation terms. It also works if you look at the colonial dates (Congo Free State and French Congo – figuring out which one would be oldest and which one youngest).**

 **The scene with White and Burkina Faso lasted longer than I hoped it would, but it also demonstrates how nations can manipulate anything in their lands.**

 **And if you're a South African, you know what electricity-related frustration feels like. You also know what a generator sounds like. There hasn't been anything in a while, but it's only a matter of time.**


	56. Chapter 55

**Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 55**

Morocco was gently rocking Tunisia back and forth. They were sitting on a couch together, her arms wrapped protectively around her brother. He was still trembling, and she could only imagine how bad the experience had been.

She looked up when someone entered, and she gave a small smile when she saw that it was Black. He looked at the two siblings, before sitting down on Morocco's other side.

"How are you feeling, Asim?" Black asked gently.

Tunisia didn't respond. He wasn't catatonic, but he'd definitely retreated far into himself. He had always been a gentle soul, and she worried that the experience had permanently broken him.

"I'm going to try what Umkhulu suggested," Black said. "We need to find Raj and Gilbert."

Morocco nodded her head.

"Good luck," she said softly. "Asim, why don't we go back to your room?"

Tunisia still didn't react, and she bit her lip. She hoped to find a way to get the old Tunisia back soon.

…

Portugal and Romania were busy with official business, so Czechia entertained herself by going through some of their notes. She had been worried that she was overstepping her boundaries, and had feared detection. But when Portugal walked by, saw what she was doing, and gave her even _more_ notes to read, she sighed in relief. Apparently, she wasn't invading forbidden territory.

She was eager to learn as much as possible. That thing about summoning grapes seemed interesting, and she wanted to know if there were other things.

Apparently, one _could_ mould the raw materials into other things as well, but it required a lot more effort.

"You seem as though you're having fun."

She didn't even jump when Slovakia approached her from behind.

"I'm beginning to like them," Czechia explained. "They were _thorough_ with their notes."

Slovakia sighed.

"Of course you'd be happy with something like this," he muttered. "So, anything interesting?"

"Several nations actually built houses using the same principal that Portugal demonstrated earlier," she said.

"I thought he said you could only use raw materials? How could they build an entire _house_? Or did they just summon all the different materials and hire workers?"

"Not exactly."

This time, she _did_ jump, and so did Slovakia. They turned to see Moldova standing in the doorway, head cocked to the side.

"What do you mean?" Slovakia asked.

"Well, we can summon the raw materials, no problem," Moldova explained. "But we still need to know _how_ to use it. Focusing it on a project might take a lot of effort, but it would be worth it in the end. Still, there aren't a lot of us that really bother with things like this. I _definitely_ don't have the experience to build a house yet."

The other two simply stared at Moldova. After a few tense seconds of silence, he frowned.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"It's just a bit surprising, that's all," Czechia explained. "All of these things that nations can do that we don't even know about…"

"Nations were usually too busy doing what the humans wanted to even think about trying to explore our possibilities," Moldova said, shrugging. "That's why Miguel decided to ignore the humans, for the most part. That's also what got Vlad involved. Curiosity."

"Of course," Czechia muttered. "And I'm assuming that you joined because of your brother. Don't you ever worry that you're being forced into it?"

"And how is it any different from how nations normally are?"

"He has a point," Slovakia mumbled. "How many times are we strung along? I'm actually enjoying the freedom."

"Freedom?!" Czechia demanded.

"Compared to the past?"

"…Fair point."

Moldova shrugged.

"We're not forcing you into anything," he said. "If anything, our biggest priority is to keep you safe. Especially _you_ , Czechia. How many times did you and Hungary hang out in spas… where you're vulnerable… unarmed…?"

"Okay, okay, I get it!" Czechia exclaimed. "Hungary would easily get access to me. I know."

"Question," Slovakia said. "Did Romania and Hungary _really_ not like each other?"

"They have a complicated history," Moldova said. "The original plan was to keep Hungary and Vlad as far away from each other as possible. But now she's Requiem… I wonder if _that_ was the reason why they didn't like each other. Maybe they could sense that they were destined to be enemies?"

"If so, it's a scary thought," Czechia said.

…

Israel felt wrong. _So_ wrong. But if he had any hope of finding India before it was too late, then it was necessary.

It had taken a while to decide which one to try, but he finally decided on Vishnu. Out of India's gods, this one was probably the most agreeable. He was also the one with the least amount of animosity towards Israel.

It was annoying, to be honest.

He closed his eyes and started the Hindu prayer, trying to focus on the words. He knew that he would need to say his own prayers later, but for now, India was more important. Times like these made him a bit envious of the less religious members. It wasn't that they didn't _believe_ in any gods – they were well aware that they existed – they just didn't _worship_ them. Or, as Israel and India insisted, try to have a relationship with their gods.

It was one of the things that pulled them together in the first place.

Israel stopped when there was a bright light in front of him, and he cracked open one eye to see the blue-skinned god sitting in front of him, chin resting on one of his hands. He looked like it was a bother to come, but at the same time, he appeared to be curious.

"It's rare for _you_ to speak to me," Vishnu said. "Or, do you not know what to buy Raj? But isn't it still a bit early for…?"

"You mean, you don't _know_?" Israel asked incredulously.

"Know what?"

Israel's eye twitched, and he pulled out his phone. He easily found the video and handed the device to the god, who looked annoyed at the modern device.

But as the now-familiar, painful sound rang over the speakers, Vishnu's annoyance seemed to dissipate to be replaced by horror.

"How… when did this happen?" he demanded. "And _how_ was I not _aware_ of it?"

"I could ask _you_ the same thing," Israel spat.

Vishnu's eye twitched, but it was the only indicator that he was annoyed. He was too horrified to react otherwise.

"…I will find Raj," he announced. "And I _will_ bring him back home. And I will make sure that the ones responsible for this pay with their lives."

Israel said nothing. He was in full agreement. The ones responsible had to _pay_ for what they did to India. Were probably _still_ doing to him.

…

Bangladesh had his hands pressed against his ears, a desperate expression on his face. He had been locked in a room with a light that kept flickering, and a ringing sound that just would not _stop_. He had no idea how long he'd been there, but it was getting _really_ annoying. Frustrating.

He also didn't know if it was reality or his imagination, but every now and again, he could have sworn that the sound's pitch increased. Why couldn't it shut up?!

He screamed in frustration, looking for something sharp. Of course, there was _nothing_ else in this room, except for the flickering light. And the light was too high for him to do anything.

For a brief moment, clarity returned to him as an idea struck him. And the clarity faded once he forced one of his fingers as far inside his left ear as it could go. He needed to see if it could work. _Anything_ to stop the annoying ringing.

He could fit his pinkie in just fine. Now, the other ear.

…

"So, Prussia was taken?" Andorra asked.

Spain sighed, nodding his head.

"And Taiwan and Latvia were also sleepers," Spain said. "Like you."

Andorra curled up tighter on his bed.

"What's going to happen now?" he asked.

"…I wonder if it's possible to undo what they've done to you," Spain said. "If you're up to it."

"I don't want to hurt anyone. What did you have in mind?"

"I was thinking of sending you over to Miguel. He'd want to try to help you. And it seems as though Alvora is the only way of defeating Requiem."

"…But what about the others? Do _they_ trust Alvora?"

"I don't know," Spain admitted. "Mongolia _did_ say that Gilbert threatened him, and he _did_ say that there are a few things about them that bother him. But… The things Requiem has done… They need to be stopped."

Andorra nodded his head. They might not have had a lot of information on them, but it was generally agreed upon that Alvora was the lesser of two evils.

"Even if Alvora _can't_ undo what Requiem's done," Spain continued, "I trust that Miguel would do all he can to keep you safe. I don't think Requiem's going to leave you alone."

Andorra shuddered. That was right. His memories of Requiem… they _wouldn't_ leave him alone. He didn't know if Alvora could really fight them on an equal footing, but… If there was even the slightest chance that the seeds that had been planted in his head could be removed, then he knew that he should take it.

And if not, then he wanted to be where he would be protected.

"Alright," he said. "When should I leave?"

"Let me arrange with Miguel first, and then we'll see," Spain said.

…

Prussia's eyes cracked open, and he groaned in pain. He had been killed, yes, but… where was he _now_? At first, he assumed that he was blindfolded, but then he realised that the room was painted black.

And completely silent.

Prussia could hear a drumming in his ears, and it took him a while to realise that it was his own heartbeat that he was hearing. He'd heard of a room that one of America's universities created, and his eyes widened in realisation.

He knew that people tended to go insane in such a room.

He needed to find a way to keep his sanity going strong for as long as possible. He thought of Lithuania, and nodded his head. Yes, he _wouldn't_ allow those monsters to tear them apart. He wouldn't let them win with whatever it was they were doing.

Deciding on something that would require his focus, he closed his eyes and started to sing.

"En la mondon venis nova sento…" he sang.

If this worked, then he would have to thank Poland.

…

Bhutan winced as the plane landed. He had been dragged out of his room a few hours ago, informed that they would be going somewhere else, and that was where they were now. Well, perhaps not completely. The journey had yet to finish.

He was aware of the fact that the only reason why he was along for the ride was because he was now their oracle. They wanted to be sure that he would be easily accessible, and that he could warn them of anything they felt that they should know about.

The only problem was, Bhutan didn't _want_ to tell them anything.

He had no interest in aiding the nations that had kidnapped him. That had hurt his friends. That he could see would _still_ hurt his friends.

Unfortunately, he didn't have much of a choice in the matter.

A few minutes later had him feeling confused. Nepal was taking another flight. A helicopter, and he was supposed to be going with Italy and the others. He wanted to ask, but he was afraid to. And he didn't want them to mock him for not knowing where Nepal was going, despite being an oracle.

He didn't ask for this power, and he could understand why Laos wasn't always so thrilled about it.

…

"Are you serious?" Vietnam asked.

The others glanced towards her as they ate their dinners. She was on the phone, and had to listen to her complaints about it being China. But it didn't look as though she was angry or complaining.

She looked worried.

"I… Alright," she said. "I'll speak to the others, and we'll make our way to Paris as soon as possible."

The others paused. Why would they be going to Paris?

Thailand kept his attention firmly fixed on Vietnam, searching for any clue. Eventually, though, she sighed and disconnected the call, before taking her seat again.

"So, explain to me why we're going to Paris," Thailand said.

"China didn't go into too many details," she said. "But he told me that they learned who's responsible for, among other things, Japan's death. And that it wasn't a conversation for the phone. He also told me that something's happened to Taiwan, though he wouldn't tell me _what_ it is. Hong Kong was apparently hurt as well."

"So, I'm assuming we're leaving in the morning," Cambodia said.

"Or we could fly by night," Thailand said. "Sleep on the plane."

"I agree with Kasem's idea," Laos muttered. "I get the feeling that we shouldn't try to wait."

The others were silent for a moment. Laos looked a bit sick, and it was clear that his mind wasn't in the present. And if an oracle said something, then it was best to follow their advice.

"…Then we'll pack our bags once dinner is over," Vietnam said.

…

Norway and Sweden had been returned to their cell, neither of them saying a word. Neither of them knew what _to_ say.

Their royal families had been killed. And with them, their freedom. Denmark had made sure that they would enter a period of political instability, and without being able to interfere themselves, Denmark was the one that would take control.

Sweden was thinking about Finland. He still felt betrayed, and he honestly didn't have enough information on Finland's side to be able to trust him to any extent. The only good news was that Finland and Denmark appeared to be enemies.

How could they have tricked them for so long? And why did Sweden let down his guard? After all, he knew Denmark _very_ well. The nasty part of Denmark. And he'd completely forgotten about that part. Perhaps it was because Denmark played the part of idiot a bit too well. He'd been careless.

And Finland… The other was just too cheerful all the time. Too optimistic. How could he have lied to him? Did Finland have a cruel side as well?

And as for Norway… the other was in a state of shock. He had appeared to retreat far into his mind. The last time Sweden had seen Norway like this was when he'd taken him from Denmark. And the original reason why Norway had been like that was because he was worried about Iceland.

It was probably the same reason why he was like that _now_ , or at least one of the reasons.

Iceland had been brainwashed. That was the only explanation. But the very nature of the brainwashing wasn't the same as normal. It didn't seem as though _anything_ that remotely resembled Iceland remained. What did Denmark _do_ to him?

Sweden knew that they needed to find a way to escape. They couldn't allow Denmark to win in any way.

…

Bolivia was doing some paperwork in his office when the doorbell rang. He frowned in confusion. He wasn't expecting guests, and he'd made it clear to the guests already there that he wouldn't allow them to invite anyone to his house. He had no interest in turning his house into a madhouse.

He made his way to the front door, seeing Paraguay and Uruguay poking their heads out to see what was going on. So, they were just as confused as he was. That meant that they weren't to blame. He sighed, opening the front door.

He cocked his head to the side when he saw who was on the other side.

"Chile," he greeted. "Venezuela. What are you two doing here?"

"Hola," Chile greeted cheerfully. "I hope we're not interrupting anything."

"Just some paperwork. Please, come in."

He allowed the other two South American nations to enter, and closed the door behind them. He shuddered a bit as they passed. He had the strangest feeling that someone had just walked on his grave. It was probably just because Venezuela had walked past a little too close for comfort.

"Hola Para, Uru," Venezuela greeted the other two. "Having fun here?"

"I would have more fun if I was allowed to eat more," Paraguay whined.

"Could you _please_ stop complaining about your food intake," Uruguay sighed. "I think we need to have you tested for a tapeworm or something."

"Again?!"

Bolivia rolled his eyes as he made his way to the kitchen.

"Would you like some refreshments?" he asked.

"Coffee sounds good," Chile called out.

Bolivia idly nodded his head as Venezuela agreed with Chile.

…

"You have way too much honour," Egypt remarked.

Peru shrugged as he cut the sandwich. He'd told India that he was bringing him food. He just didn't specify what type of food.

"I still care for my brother," Peru explained. "And I made a promise to him. I just neglected to obtain the information from him regarding the means to keep my promise. India's just helping me keep that promise."

Egypt wanted to say something, but then froze. He cocked his head to the side, his eyes narrowing.

"It would seem that there's trouble heading our way," Egypt said. "Anubis just contacted me. There's a stir in the aether."

"And what does that mean for us mere mortals?" Peru asked sarcastically.

Egypt was silent for a long moment.

"We've got a new question to ask India," he said. "But I think we'll need to use other methods. He's already shown that he's not afraid of pain."

Peru sighed, though he couldn't help the small smile that tugged at his lips. He loved watching Egypt as the older nation thought up ideas.

 **The song that Prussia sang is the Esperanto anthem, 'La Espero'. It literally means 'the hope'. It's a headcanon of mine that Poland can speak Esperanto, due to the creator of the language being from Poland's land. He would also teach it to the other members of Alvora. If memory serves, the largest Esperanto community is in Germany, so Prussia has another reason for singing/speaking Esperanto.**

 **And as for why India's gods couldn't tell that their nation needed them… Remember, Egypt and Greece are also members of Requiem. They were prepared.**


	57. Chapter 56

**Thanks to Carina Sicily, AquaEclipse and an anon for reviewing.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 56**

Black took a deep breath as he lay down. He tried to remember all of the things Khoisan told him about his ability – what to do with it. He focused on his breathing, grateful to India for all those lessons in meditation.

He focused on India. On the person. What his favourite foods were, his favourite music, the time they all got drunk and India displayed his talent with the henna tattoos…

Why was it that the female nations looked so much better in the henna than the males? Black had been seriously disappointed when the henna faded. He loved seeing Morocco like that.

He shook himself. He needed to focus. Think of _India_. He switched between the country and the person. He tried to recall every shred of information he knew. And then…

He started hearing something. A song.

He frowned as he focused on the song. It was in Hebrew, but it was most definitely India's voice. He wondered…

A few of the Alvoran nations had admitted on one occasion that when they were missing their lovers, they tended to sing a song in their lover's native language. Black had to teach Morocco several songs. Her favourite was Thula Sana. He couldn't remember if India was one of those nations, but still, he focused on the singing. Eventually, a picture started forming in his mind, and he realised that he was seeing what India was seeing.

It was working!

He strengthened his focus for a while longer, before something happened that almost made him sever the connection. He was feeling India's pain.

Black felt nauseous when he became aware of just how much pain India was in. It felt as though all of his nerves were twitching, and he recalled hearing that India had seemingly been electrocuted. He could definitely feel that. But how high did the voltage have to be for this amount of pain? Or, how long was India subjected to that?

The song ended when the door was opened, and Black could feel India tense. He watched through India's eyes as Egypt and Peru entered the room.

Egypt immediately made his way towards India, grabbing his hair. India hissed in pain, and Black could feel the pain as well.

"What _now_?" India asked exasperatedly.

"I just need to check something," Egypt said. "And it would be much faster this way."

Pain exploded around him, and Black had to remind himself that it wasn't his pain he was feeling; it was India's. At first there was a white light surrounding him, and then images started to play through his head. Many, many images. It appeared to be India's memories.

Black was disgusted at this blatant invasion of privacy, but he was also worried. What information did Egypt seek? There were a few memories that wouldn't immediately reveal themselves, but then they were pried open, and more pain would accompany the action. Black had never experienced pain like this before, and he wasn't experienced enough to know if he was feeling equal pain or only a fraction of what India was experiencing.

He was seeing things that he didn't know about his friend – things he didn't _want_ to know. He felt nauseous, and a part of him wanted to retreat, back into his own mind, but he still needed to try to figure out _where_ India was.

The memories then slowed down, and Black paused. India was a child now, and he was playing with the god Vishnu. India was such a cute child.

 _I see…_

Black felt a jolt as he heard Egypt's voice. He'd forgotten that Egypt was the one responsible for this. Did that mean that he found the information that he was searching for?

In an instant, Black was suddenly in a field. He looked around, unsure of where this place could be. As he turned, he saw Egypt, watching him with an annoyed expression.

"I sensed the presence of an intruder," Egypt said, taking a step closer to him. "I wonder if India knew."

"What did you do?" Black asked. "And where are we?"

Egypt smirked in amusement.

"You're obviously new to this," he said. "We're inside India's inner sanctum. The deepest corner of his subconscious. This is where his soul rests."

Black's eyes widened, and he looked around again. Now that he mentioned it, he could see traces of what was most definitely Raj. Not India, but _Raj_.

"I knew you had a sensory-sharing power," Egypt said, "but I was under the impression you didn't know how to use it. Unless… This is your first time, isn't it?"

Black tensed, and Egypt chuckled.

"Bold move, attempting location on your first time," Egypt said. "You never know what could go _wrong_."

"Is that a threat?" Black asked.

"I suppose it is. After all, you're a novice, whereas this isn't my first time in someone else's mind."

"Peru…" Black muttered. "You're in a relationship with Peru, aren't you?"

"And what does it matter?"

"…We know of at least one of your members that's been subjected to your brainwashing. What about Peru?"

Egypt's eyes narrowed.

"What does it matter to you?" he snapped.

"So, he _was_ ," Black said softly. "You're forcing him to love you. That's…"

"I did _not_ force him into anything like that!" Egypt roared. "And for the record, Diego is a member of his own volition. If anything messed with his mind, it was the trauma of watching his mother die!"

Black pursed his lips when he heard that.

"So," he said, "Peru _wasn't_ subjected to your brainwashing? Or… You also use mind control, don't you?"

Egypt sneered.

"Before the construction of the Washroom, I _was_ the one they used for the more stubborn potential recruits," Egypt said. "I myself am here on my own. My cousins offered me an opportunity to restore my mother's legacy, and I took it."

"Is that really what all of this is about?" Black asked. "The empires of the past? Empires crumble. Deal with it!"

"Don't tell me that you don't miss _your_ empire, Zulu," Egypt spat. "Then again, it didn't amount to much. Particularly because of the Europeans. _White_."

Black glared at Egypt. It was a time he wasn't proud of. He'd attempted to kill his sister, when she and her people were there for peaceful negotiations. They had killed the humans that came with her, and attacked one of the nearest groups. A nation had to know that he had crossed lines when a member of their royal family questioned his actions. They managed to overcome the following conflict, but it had taken a while before they could start trusting each other. Before White invited him to join Alvora.

It still disgusted him to this day. She would often make the time to come visit him. She said that it was important for them to learn to get along. But for the longest time, she would not let him touch her. The day she finally decided to take his hand was probably one of the happiest days of his life.

"It's more than just restoring a fallen empire," Egypt said. "It's about restoring my own pride. You have no idea what the Islamic Conquest was like for me. My fellow believers… we were forced to go into hiding. Now, we're not even considered to be a religion. We're treated as a _cult_. One that needs to be destroyed. And it's not just the humans. Turkey especially was… _intent_ on getting me on the 'right track'. And now look at me. How many relics of the past had been destroyed because it was against _their_ cult?"

Despite himself, Black felt sorry for Egypt. He knew how painful the Inquisition had been for Portugal. How he had to remain silent as his people tortured and killed each other because of a religion. And Portugal himself wasn't religious, so he had to watch as people like him were tortured and killed.

Many of the humans that served Alvora were the descendants of the people Portugal saved.

"You could have changed it," Black said quietly. "Changed their mentalities internally. You could have…"

"I could have fought for my beliefs?" Egypt scoffed. "I _tried_. Some humans I'm capable of influencing, while others are too _brainwashed_ for me to change their minds. But now… it's changing. Or, did you not look at the news?"

Black frowned. He had mostly been focusing on the affairs of Algeria and the other prisoners. He didn't think to look at what was happening in the Requiem nations.

"I didn't think so," Egypt said. "And now I'm left with a simple question: what to do with you?"

Black's eyes widened, and he tried to retreat, but something tugged him back. Egypt clicked his tongue at his attempt.

"Don't bother," he said. "You're not going anywhere. Let's see…"

Egypt walked closer, and Black found that he couldn't move at all. Egypt grabbed his throat, and Black let out a wheezy gasp at the grip.

"You don't seem to have a lot of experience with this," Egypt said. "And you haven't figured out our location yet. However, I can't just let you go unpunished."

Black screamed as pain coursed through his entire being.

…

Tunisia was with Morocco in his room. She had been persistent in getting him to eat something, and she seemed happy that he managed to eat a piece of toast.

Tunisia wasn't hungry, and the idea of food made him think of what happened with Algeria and Uganda. He was also finding it hard to believe that it was all over. He was afraid that it would all be a dream, or some sort of fantasy planted in his head in that facility to keep him compliant.

He jumped when he heard a scream, and a look of horror crossed Morocco's face.

"Themba…" she whispered.

She stormed out of there, and Tunisia hesitated. He wanted to stay as far away from the screaming as possible, but he also didn't want to remain in the dark. What if they were attacked, and he didn't know what the threat was? He would be a sitting duck.

Swallowing thickly, he followed the sound of the screams. He could see other nations following the screams as well, and though he was intimidated, he pressed on. He _needed_ to know what was happening.

The other nations noticed him and made room. Some were shooting him looks of pity. They knew what had happened to him, or at least had an idea. Were all of them Alvora?

No… he remembered when Alvora revealed all of their African members to them. Not all of these nations were Alvora.

He saw Morocco, desperately shaking a screaming Black. His eyes were wide open, but it was clear that he wasn't present. Haiti pushed himself past the group and placed his hand on Black's forehead.

"His consciousness is in another body," he explained. "And someone else with magic interfered. Black's very consciousness has been attacked."

"Can you get him back?" Morocco asked desperately.

"I can try," he said.

Tunisia watched as Haiti's hands glowed, and Black's screaming stopped, replaced by gasping breaths. He blinked, and his eyes became clear. He looked confused, but hugged back when Morocco wrapped her arms around him.

"Are you okay?!" she demanded. "What happened?"

Black was silent for a few seconds, and Tunisia recognised the look. He was trying to return to reality.

"I tried… to do what Umkhulu taught me," Black said. "I managed to find my way to Raj's mind. He's in a lot of pain. But before I could find out _where_ he is… Egypt and Peru came. And Egypt… he went through Raj's mind. It was _painful_. And he figured out that I was there."

"Painful?" Haiti repeated. "That means… Mind reading and memory extraction by itself should be painless. But knowing Requiem… it was deliberately painful. It's called a mind rape. It's done in a way that would damage the person it's done to."

Morocco let out a very colourful swear that almost had Tunisia bursting out into laughter. Now was not the time, though.

"I _did_ find something," Haiti continued. "When I extracted Themba's consciousness… I managed to find _where_ I extracted it from. Greenland. Raj is in Greenland."

Tunisia remembered the cold place that he had been brought to, and he trembled. It was the same place he had gone to.

"No," he whimpered.

Everyone turned to him, and someone tried to steady him, but he let out a violent scream as he jerked away. He scrambled towards Morocco, who wrapped him in a hug.

"Asim, what's wrong?" she asked.

"It's there," he whimpered. "It's hell."

Morocco and Haiti shared a look.

"You're saying," Haiti began, "that the place they took Raj to… is the place they took _you_ to?"

Tunisia only hugged Morocco tighter as his trembling increased.

…

Israel stumbled out of the room, muttering in Hebrew. He looked up to see Serbia standing nearby, looking at him in sympathy.

"How did it go?" he asked.

"Apparently, the god of protection didn't know that the one that he was supposed to be protecting was in danger."

Serbia winced.

"I'm pretty sure that it would damage his ego," he said. "Which means that Raj will be safe in your arms again soon."

Israel snorted.

"If they allow me anywhere near him," he said.

…

Greenland stared at the screen, a look of blank annoyance on her face. There was a knock on the door and she turned to see her brother enter.

"What's happening?" he asked. "You look annoyed."

"Prussia had the _brilliant_ idea to start singing to keep his sanity," she said. "I didn't know he knew Esperanto."

Faroe frowned when he heard that, and came to stand next to her.

"How do you know he's still clinging to sanity?" he asked.

"He's coherent," she said. "And he's not screaming."

Faroe was silent for a moment.

"Maybe one of us should go check?" he suggested.

…

"You're saying that there are _gods_ coming here?" Pakistan asked.

"Yes," Egypt said, pacing furiously. "India's like me, and formed a personal relationship with his gods. This place is supposed to protect against prying gods, but only for as long as they don't _know_ we're here. Anubis and Horus are on their way, but there's no telling how many of India's gods are coming."

"Is there anything we can do to prepare?" Palestine asked.

Egypt was silent for a moment.

"We need to find a place to hide," he said. "And there's one other thing I'd like to do to India."

…

Prussia paused in his singing when the door opened and the light was turned on. He recognised the person coming, and smirked lazily.

"Greenland," he greeted. "Long time, no see."

"Shut it," she said. "What the hell are you playing at?"

"I'm too awesome to let you win," he said, smirk falling. "If you think you can drive me insane, then I'll prove you wrong."

Greenland narrowed her eyes.

"We'll see about that," she spat.

…

Paraguay was trembling violently, tied to the kitchen chair. Uruguay and Bolivia… both of them were dead. _Dead_. He couldn't sense even the faintest traces from their bodies. It had all happened so fast.

Bolivia had gone to the kitchen to get the new guests their coffee, when Chile and Venezuela ambushed Paraguay and Uruguay. Chile carved Uruguay's heart out of his chest with practiced ease and actually _ate_ it. Paraguay had been restrained by Venezuela as he watched this happen. Bolivia had heard the commotion and rushed in, only for Chile to kill him as well, carving out his heart and giving it to Venezuela, who happily ate it.

Afterwards, Paraguay had been dragged to the kitchen and tied to a chair while the other two… They were harvesting the others' organs. And _cooking_ them.

"Stop it!" he shouted. "Why are you doing this?!"

"Because they needed to be out of the way," Chile said simply. "And because it's been a while since we had a proper meal of nation flesh. Argentina and Mexico had their fun with America's corpse, but _we_ haven't had a turn yet."

Paraguay felt sick when he heard that, and he struggled against the ropes again.

"Why didn't you kill _me_?" he asked.

"Because _you_ have potential," Venezuela purred, walking closer. "You and that bottomless pit you call a stomach. You see, if we can just get you to follow our diet…"

Paraguay felt cold when he realised the implications. And the fact that his brother and friend were being cooked…

"No…" he whispered. "You can't… that's _sick_!"

"That's what you say _now_ ," Chile said. "But once you actually _taste_ it…"

"I won't become a cannibal!" he shouted. "And I'm not going to eat my brother!"

"We have ways of changing your mind," Venezuela said. "In fact, I think it's almost finished."

Tears streamed down Paraguay's face as his stomach growled. He didn't know how, but it actually smelled good. They knew how to work with spices. But that still didn't change _who_ the meat belonged to. He thought they were friends. Why would they do something like this?

A plate was placed in front of him, and he felt sick. Bolivia and Uruguay's faces flashed through his mind, and he let out a sob. A piece was cut and brought up to his mouth, which he kept firmly closed.

"Don't be stubborn," Chile said. "I guarantee that you'll like it."

His head was held tightly and his nose pinched shut. He tried to struggle, but there was no way he could get free. Eventually, though, he opened his mouth, the need to breathe too desperate. They took the opportunity to shove the piece of meat in his mouth, and clasped a hand on his mouth to prevent him from spitting it out.

He was stuck with a piece of someone he cared about in his mouth, and his hunger and instincts took over as he started to chew.

 **Thula Sana (or Thula Baba) is probably the most well-known lullaby in South Africa. You can find it on YouTube, if you're curious. Even André Rieu has performed it.**

 **The events leading up to the Battle of Blood River included the voortrekkers (pioneers) going to the Zulu king to negotiate peace and to ask for land (since they were trying to get as far away from England's rule in the Cape as possible). What happened is unclear, but the Zulus turned on the Boers and killed them all, before attacking one of the encampments with Boers waiting for news. Everyone was slaughtered, and one of the most iconic scenes depicted in artwork relating to that time was when the Zulu warriors grabbed babies and toddlers by their ankles and started beating them on the wagons' wheels. Anyway, when the Zulu prince heard of his father's betrayal, he was disgusted and actually helped the Boers prepare for Blood River. About 300 or so Boers against 20 000 Zulus, and the only casualties on the Boers' side were three injuries, while quite a few Zulu warriors died. The voortrekkers actually attended the prince's coronation.**


	58. Chapter 57

**Thanks to AquaEclipse for reviewing.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 57**

Laos glanced outside the window. They had taken a private plane and were on their way to Paris. The others were all sleeping, but Laos couldn't relax his mind enough.

His instincts were screaming at him. Something was going to happen. Something that would change the very laws of nature. Something that would affect the people he cared about.

Laos closed his eyes, and a piercing headache suddenly split his skull. He muffled a cry, not wanting to wake the others. An image invaded his mind.

It was Myanmar, a corpse at his feet. Blood stained his hands, and the corpse felt familiar. Laos knew that he should know who the corpse was, but his mind couldn't focus on that detail. Instead, the expression on Myanmar's face drew his attention.

It was a look of absolute madness.

Laos's eyes snapped open, and it took him a moment to realise that he was in a plane cabin. He was safe, without a corpse or anything.

What _was_ that?

…

Portugal stood in front of the window, watching the storm outside. If he didn't know better, he would have thought that something was plaguing Romania. Well, something other than the obvious.

He felt arms wrap around him from behind and Romania's lips on his neck. He leaned into the touch.

"Don't worry," Romania said. "It's just a regular storm. I promise that."

"Good," Portugal exhaled.

They were pulled out of their silent moment by the sound of Portugal's phone. He sighed, before he pulled it closer. He arched an eyebrow when he saw that Spain was calling him again, and answered the phone.

"I'm surprised that you keep calling me," he said.

"I have a request to make," Spain said. "I'm worried about what Requiem would do to Nicolás. And I'm hoping that you might know a way to undo what's been done to him. So… would you be willing to take him?"

Portugal looked towards Romania, who was close enough to hear what Spain was saying. Romania nodded his head.

"Of course," he said. "Nicolás is family. And I'd do anything for family."

There was a relieved sigh on the other side.

"Gracias," Spain said. "When can you get him? Or, should I send him?"

"I can go now," Romania whispered.

"Vlad says that he can go now," Portugal said.

"Alright," Spain said. "Tell him to go to the backyard of France's Paris house. I don't think the others would be happy to see one of you here."

Portugal felt a tug at his lips when he heard that.

"Thanks for the warning," he said.

When the call was ended, he turned to Romania.

"Are you sure it's okay with you?" he asked.

"Of course," Romania said. "Like you said, Andorra is your family, and all of us would do anything for family."

…

Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan were on their way to another location that they _hoped_ would be secret. They weren't sure about Alvora, but decided to heed their advice and go to another location. One that would hopefully be safe.

Georgia still couldn't believe that all of this was possible. And it made him realise that their lives were illusions. This was supposed to be a time of peace, but of course, it wasn't to be. Georgia's situation should have been a clue.

He and Azerbaijan didn't even have the energy to fight with each other. They were using the cover of night to get to a place that Armenia insisted would be safe. Until they had more information, they couldn't take risks.

…

China and Hong Kong were watching over Taiwan. The female nation had yet to wake up, and they had no idea what state of mind she would be in when she did. Would she be back to normal, or would she still be Requiem's puppet?

China clenched his fists in anger. What infuriated him was the thought that they had gotten their hands on her, and he hadn't noticed. What kind of older brother _was_ he? How could he have allowed his sister to become the puppet of psychopaths?

And more importantly, _who_ was the one that delivered her to them?

The sound of a groan snapped him out of his thoughts, and Hong Kong tensed next to him. Taiwan was tossing her head from side to side, before opening her eyes. They were confused, but no longer blank.

"Yao?" she asked softly. "Leon? What's going on?"

Both males breathed a sigh of relief when it seemed evident that Taiwan was back to her normal self.

"Don't you remember?" Hong Kong asked.

Taiwan frowned in confusion, before she looked around.

"I remember that meeting," she said. "Confronting New Zealand. And then… nothing."

The two males shared a look, and China sighed.

"Mei, what happened to Andorra… happened to you too," China said.

Taiwan tried to sit up, her eyes widening in shock.

"What?" she asked, horrified.

"They brainwashed you," Hong Kong clarified. "And you… you attacked us."

"N-no," she whimpered. "No. No! NO!"

China immediately wrapped her in a hug, and she sobbed into his chest. She might not have remembered what had happened, but it was clear that the idea of her attacking them terrified her. China clenched his jaw. He knew that he needed to make Requiem pay for what they'd done to his family.

…

Macau was lying on his bed, Azores snuggled next to him. The two autonomous regions had a long history together, much of it romantic. Being here at the same place was more than they could have hoped for.

Of course, the reason why they were together wasn't lost on Macau. Requiem. The two of them were with the Africans for their protection.

Azores had informed him that he had sensed intruders in his land, and after some probing, he discovered that they were San Marino, Malta and Vatican. Siblings of the Requiem leaders. And thus, members of Requiem as well. The fact that they left without doing anything else made the reason of their intrusion clear: they had been looking for Azores.

They weren't as strong as the others, and they didn't know the full strength of Requiem. But if any of them threatened Azores, then Macau would ensure that they _never_ got close to him. Even if it cost him his life.

"What's on your mind?" Azores mumbled.

Macau placed a kiss on the top of his head, a small smile on his face.

"I was just thinking about how wonderful it is that we can spend time like this again," he said. "No worrying about China getting suspicious…"

Azores snuggled closer.

"That's not all you're thinking about, is it?" he asked.

Macau sighed.

"You know me too well," he said. "Sim. I was just thinking about how Requiem came to look for you."

Azores tensed. Macau hugged him tighter.

"If we didn't get out when we did…" Azores whispered.

"I know," Macau said. "And I might not be strong, but I promise that I will protect you."

Azores didn't immediately respond, but then he pulled himself up to better look at Macau.

"Don't think that you should do something reckless in the name of protecting me," Azores said. "And don't think that I won't protect you as well."

Macau smiled, before leaning closer to place a kiss on Azores's lips.

"I don't doubt it," he said softly.

The moment was ruined by the sound of screams.

…

Andorra and Spain were waiting in France's backyard. Spain kept looking back at the house, nervous about the others noticing that they were gone and coming out to investigate. And if they saw Romania coming…

Spain also knew that he needed to tell France about all of this, but it was better to ask for forgiveness than permission. He didn't want to know what France would say about Spain's plans with Andorra, and that Spain was entrusting him to Alvora. They still didn't know much about them, and Alvora had done nothing to gain their trust yet. And after finding out that Prussia had been a member all this time, and had apparently threatened Mongolia, they weren't going to take this well.

"Are you okay?" Andorra asked.

Spain was startled out of his thoughts, and he turned to Andorra. He quickly placed a shaky smile on his face.

"Si," he said. "I guess I'm just a bit worried about how the others would react. Especially Francis."

"Why didn't you tell him?" Andorra asked.

Spain sighed.

"Because I think that I might need to do the same thing to him in the near future, and I'm scared of seeing that reaction," Spain explained. "Miguel managed to get Requiem's notes, and he said… they're planning on using Francis to get to me."

"Because of how you feel about each other," Andorra supplied.

Spain didn't answer. He just clenched his jaw.

"Why don't you just spit it out already?" Andorra asked. "I'm surprised that neither of you came out to say it yet."

Spain sighed when he heard that.

"I'm just afraid," he said. "The last time we came close… we were forced to go to war with each other. If we try again…"

"Then Requiem's going to win."

Spain jumped when he heard that voice, and he turned around to look at Romania, who was looking serious for a change.

"What do you mean?" Spain asked.

"Chances are good that a war's coming," Romania said. "A war that would end all wars. Well, ending wars is one of _our_ goals, but… Do you really want to go through this without telling France how you feel about him?"

Spain averted his gaze.

"And… what if we _do_ get together, and one of us ends up dying?" Spain asked.

"And what if you both end up surviving?" Romania challenged. "And in the event that one of you dies… Do you really think it's going to be good for the survivor to go on without getting closure?"

Spain flinched when he heard that.

"My advice is to take every moment of happiness that presents itself," Romania continued. "It's better to have spent at least _some_ time together in happiness than to have nothing to show for it. Take Gilbert and Toris as examples. Gilbert's immortality is… fragile, so to speak. He managed to gain more since Germany died, but it still hadn't completely settled to its former glory. But he and Toris took advantage of the time they had available, even though Gilbert's was borrowed."

Spain pursed his lips, before nodding his head.

"Si," he said. "You're right. I _shouldn't_ let fear of what _might_ happen keep me from what _could_ and _should_ happen. And, Romania… You better take care of both of my brothers."

Romania chuckled.

"Of course," he said, before turning to Andorra. "Are you ready to go?"

Andorra nodded his head. Romania looked back at the house.

"What about the others?" he asked. "I know there are other sleepers as well."

"No one else knows we're here," Spain said. "And I'm not sure that Russia is going to let Latvia out of his sight. China _might_ be willing to let you try and help Taiwan, but there's also a chance that he's going to be _strongly_ opposed to it."

"Of course," Romania sighed. "Good luck."

"The same to you," Spain said.

He watched as Romania took Andorra's hand, before they disappeared in a puff of red smoke. Spain started the walk back to the backdoor, trying to decide what he was going to say to the others. He also needed to decide on what to say to France.

Spain had gotten through the kitchen just fine, but the moment he tried to get out, he bumped into someone. And not just any someone. _France_.

"Oh, pardon," France said, before narrowing his eyes. "What were you…?"

Spain silenced him with a firm kiss. He could feel France tense in surprise, but he wasn't pushing him away. After a moment he pulled away, and France was looking at him in surprised curiosity.

"I decided that I don't want what _might_ happen to keep me from what _should_ happen," Spain said.

France smirked, before he pulled Spain closer, planting his own, more passionate, kiss on Spain's lips. Spain closed his eyes as he felt the other's very _being_ wrap around him. It seemed like an eternity before they pulled away, gasping for air.

"What took you so long?" France asked playfully.

"I could ask you the same thing," Spain said.

France chuckled, before pecking Spain on the cheek.

…

Brazil stroked White's hair as she slept. He had certainly been surprised when Burkina Faso arrived, carrying an unconscious White on her back. And Burkina had certainly looked a bit frustrated. He had been worried at first, but couldn't help but laugh when he heard that she had passed out after making a bed. She had been utterly exhausted, renovating this place.

He should have tried to help her, but he knew how stubborn she could be when she was working on something. He just wished she'd stopped before working herself to exhaustion.

He knew that he should also tell her about the incident with Black, but that could wait until she had woken up. For now, she needed her sleep. For however long it could last.

Brazil heard the call for dinner, and he placed a kiss on her temple. He would return later, and perhaps he would save her a plate. Or perhaps not. Based on how exhausted she was, and from Burkina's description, odds were good that she wouldn't be awake until the following day. At lunchtime. Maybe dinner.

…

"So, how's Themba?" Mozambique asked.

They were all gathered around the large dining table in the equally large dining room. It was clear to everyone that White had anticipated that they would need the space.

"He's sleeping it off," Morocco said. "I woke him for dinner, but he said he wasn't hungry."

"He _should_ eat," Equatorial Guinea said. "Food helps with magical energy."

The other magic users of their group all nodded their heads, knowing looks on their faces.

"And Anika is still asleep," Brazil said. "She exhausted too much energy by working on renovations."

Burkina Faso sank down in her seat, a guilty look on her face.

"Did you find India?" Botswana asked.

"We've narrowed it down to Greenland," Haiti sighed. "But we don't know _where_ in Greenland. If they'd taken them to the Faroe Islands, it would have been a different matter."

DRC tensed when he heard mention of Greenland, and Congo gave him a worried look.

"Are you okay?" he asked quietly.

"Oui," DRC whispered. "Just… had a bit of a flashback."

Congo looked pained, but nodded his head.

"If you need to find India," Botswana said, "I can help. I mean, I've done it before."

"The problem is, we don't want you to feel like we're abusing you," Angola sighed.

"You're not abusing me if I offer."

"Fair point," Ecuador said.

"If you would, we'd appreciate it," Mozambique said, smiling amiably at Botswana.

Morocco glanced towards Tunisia, who was seated next to her. He was picking at his food, but at least he was eating. Though he was currently following a vegetarian diet.

"Are you okay?" she asked gently.

Tunisia nodded his head, not even looking at her.

"We can't forget about Gilbert," Lithuania said, looking grumpy.

"Of course not," North Korea said. "Botswana, do you think you could search for Prussia while you're at it?"

"Of course," Botswana said. "With any luck, they're at the same place."

"Do you think we can go outside?" Seychelles asked. "I don't think I can handle being underground all day."

"Sure," Botswana said. "I mean, I spent a long time outside today. I made friends with the mermaid."

"Sounds cool!" Swaziland said, eyes sparkling brightly.

"Still can't believe there's a _mermaid_ here," Netherlands muttered.

…

India was panting desperately. He could still feel the invasion of his mind, even though Egypt and Peru had left a long time ago. India was also struggling to hold in the sandwich that Peru had given him. His hand had been freed, but only to eat, and once he was finished, the hand was restrained again.

He tried to meditate, knowing from experience that it was the best way for him to calm himself when things were too difficult – and being tortured was certainly difficult – but whenever he closed his eyes, he would see a random memory, and he couldn't calm himself. He knew that Egypt had searched through his memories, and had invaded the deepest part of his subconscious. But he didn't know _what_ Egypt had done, exactly. Or _why_.

He froze when the door opened, and Palestine and Pakistan came in, smirking lazily.

"I think we've given you enough of a reprieve," Palestine said. "Time to get to work."

…

Botswana entered the astral plane with the same practiced ease as usual. He focused on India, before he frowned. There was something wrong with India, and it was getting harder to follow him. It wasn't the same thing that had happened to Sao Tomé, but it was making things difficult for him.

With some reluctance, he focused on Prussia. It took a moment, but he was looking at Prussia before long, who was having a hard time sleeping, it would seem.

And he realised what it was. The place was _too_ quiet. So quiet, it would seem as though one's thoughts would be too loud. It was… maddening.

Prussia was muttering something in a language he couldn't quite catch, and Botswana decided to leave it at that. Prussia seemed fine, though he had to wonder about his mental state. He decided to focus on the location, and after a while he grinned. Got it.

He was just about to leave when the door opened. He paused, though he knew that he couldn't be seen. Prussia grew silent as well.

"I hear that you've been giving Greenland problems," Egypt said.


	59. Chapter 58

**Thanks to AquaEclipse for reviewing.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 58**

Andorra looked around the table, absorbing everything. He was eating breakfast with Alvora's nations. And even nations that weren't really members of Alvora, but who had been taken into protective custody.

Czechia and Slovakia weren't members, just like him. But unlike him, Requiem hadn't actually _hurt_ them. They were threatened by Requiem's very existence, which he could understand. Still, it was a bit unfair that they got off lightly. They hadn't even _seen_ what Requiem was capable of first-hand.

Yemen and Oman, on the other hand, had apparently requested to _join_ Alvora. Oman had known about them for a long time, and when he heard about the situation with Requiem, he had decided that being with Alvora would be safer for them. And he had dragged Yemen along.

Romania, Portugal and Moldova were members of Alvora since before Requiem had decided to rear its head. And Portugal and Romania were in a relationship. Somehow, that _was_ surprising. Andorra had never seen a hint of attraction at the world meetings, but that could just be a testament to how good they were at hiding everything.

Another thing that surprised him was the fact that he could join them all for breakfast. He wasn't treated like a prisoner, or someone that they had taken in. He was treated as an equal. And considering the treatment small nations like him usually received… it was nice.

"I received word from the Africans," Portugal announced. "Botswana managed to find Gilbert, at least. And he said that he also saw Egypt. Imane reported that Egypt is with Raj."

"So Raj and Gilbert are in the same place," Romania said, nodding his head. "We _really_ need to do something."

"I also think we should call Sri Lanka for help. He'd want to know that Raj has been captured, at the very least."

"And maybe we can finally convince him to join us."

"You know, I feel bad that we're just staying here," Oman said. "Is there something we can do to help?"

"If you want to join the rescue, be my guest," Portugal said.

"We also need to check which magical nations are going along," Romania said. "Because I'm getting tired of having to do everything."

"Botswana is out," Portugal said. "He's done enough."

"And he's not officially one of us," Romania said. "Why don't we just invite him along, anyway? I mean, how many times has he found someone we're looking for?"

"I'll have Anika ask him. She's also spent too much energy on building their base. But she was apparently showing Burkina Faso. So, that's at least a checkpoint passed."

"Sorry, what do you mean?" Yemen asked.

"One of our goals is to teach nations to be a bit more self-sufficient," Romania explained. "That whole thing with summoning raw materials, for example. We can also manipulate our lands."

"I also wanted to talk to you about that place in the Carpathians," Portugal said. "Is it ready?"

"Da. We can go whenever you're ready."

"Say what now?" Czechia said.

"We're planning on going to a more secure location," Portugal explained. "I thought we said it before."

Czechia blushed, and Andorra couldn't help the small smile.

"Nicolás, you've been awfully quiet," Portugal said, turning to him.

All eyes were on him and he ducked his head.

"Um, I guess I'm still getting used to things," he said. "And… Tell me, do you really think you can save Prussia?"

"We've rescued a few nations from Requiem already," Romania said. "The first one was Sao Tomé. He was captured, and less than twenty-four hours later, he's safe in Haiti's arms."

"Why specifically Haiti?" Slovakia asked, cocking his head to the side.

"Obviously you haven't been paying attention to Romania and Portugal," Oman said, sipping his coffee.

Slovakia continued to look confused, until his eyes widened in understanding.

"Oh," he said. "So… Haiti and Sao Tomé?"

"You've got it," Moldova said, smiling brightly.

"And what about you?" Czechia asked. "I'm sure there couldn't be many nations your age for you to be…"

"Well, he _is_ young," Romania said, looking annoyed.

"Ooh, but I grew a centimetre since last week," Moldova said.

"Are you sure?" Portugal asked, eyes wide in intrigue.

Moldova eagerly nodded his head, and Romania ruffled his hair.

"In that case, I guess we have cause for celebration," Romania said.

"Because he grew a centimetre?" Czechia asked incredulously.

"Think about it," Portugal said. "One centimetre in a week for a child _nation_."

Slovakia gasped as, apparently, he understood.

"You're saying that his country is prospering," he said.

"Exactly," Romania said.

Andorra smiled. Seeing them get so excited about something so trivial… It was like a true family. And he feared that he might one day ruin it. If Requiem got a hold of him again…

"Do you really think that you can undo what Requiem's done?" Andorra asked.

They grew silent as they turned to him again. He shrank back, wishing he'd said nothing.

"It might be tricky," Romania admitted. "But it should be possible. As long as you don't mind me probing around in your mind."

Actually, he didn't feel comfortable with that idea. It was because someone else played around with his mind that he was here in the first place. But instead of admitting to his apprehension, he shrugged.

"I guess it doesn't matter _how_ it's done, just that it's done," he said.

"The ends justify the means," Moldova said.

It was scary how appropriate that phrase was.

…

Egypt was scratching Anubis behind the ears. He had called in his two patrons – Anubis and Horus – to assist in the possible problem. And they had called in a few other gods as well.

Sekhmet was curled up at his feet. The bloodthirsty lioness was in the shape of a cat. Bastet was resting on Peru's lap in her own cat form. And Set was close by as well, in a dog-like form.

These were the only gods that could come, but Egypt was grateful nonetheless. He just hoped that the ones that were coming wouldn't be able to overwhelm his friends.

This was why he never converted to the religion that his invaders and his bosses wanted him to. How could he? Not when the deities were tangible to him, while the other was no more than a figment of humans' imaginations. How many religions were there, and how many could say that they'd had a conversation with their gods? Could touch them? Could have absolute faith that they would intervene on their behalf?

Greece, for example. Egypt had met some of his deities. The two pantheons got along relatively well, with the occasional friendly match between them. And Mexico had contact with the Aztec gods. The others, however, had gotten zero contact. Not even Denmark, who continued to live the Viking way.

Some of the other members of Requiem were there as well. Greenland and Faroe were missing, but considering the fact that they ran the Washroom, it wasn't surprising. Seborga had gone to report the potential situation to his brothers. And the others were just waiting around.

Nepal had arrived a bit earlier, but he was told not to torment anyone. If gods were coming, they didn't want to be caught torturing anyone. They didn't want to make things harder for themselves.

The ground rumbled, and they all instinctively looked up at the ceiling. The gods tensed, before they assumed their original forms.

"It seems that it has begun," Anubis growled.

…

India took raspy breaths, his eyes closed. His body was still thrumming from the last torture session. Pakistan had enjoyed thrusting iron bars into his thighs. And then Palestine had played with that controller again.

And Mexico had joined them, filming the whole thing. He was sure that she had sent it to Israel again.

Israel…

Thinking about his lover brought a pain to his heart. He wanted to see him. He wanted to touch him. To hold him. He wanted to light candles with him. He wanted to see Israel's expressions when he ate India's cooking. He wanted to hear the other sing to him in Hebrew. He wanted to hear him _try_ to sing in Hindi, or Sanscrit.

The earth trembled, and his eyes flashed open. He could sense it. It was something that he only felt when his gods were nearby. He felt the faintest flicker of hope. If they were _there_ , then… He could be saved.

And not just him. He could get Prussia as well. And if there were any other prisoners in the facility, then it was a good time to get them out as well.

His hope waned a bit when he realised that _that_ was what Egypt wanted from his mind. The memories stopped at a point where he was being surrounded by his gods as a young nation. Egypt had also mentioned that he was a devotee of his mother's religion. Which meant that, as a nation, he had a connection with the gods.

Egypt was giving himself time to prepare.

That realisation made India attempt to struggle again, but the pain coursing through his nerves made it difficult for him to do so. He had confidence in his gods, but… If Egypt actually _did_ prepare, then they would have set things into motion to make things difficult. And if they decided to _leave_ this place and take India along…

When would an opportunity present itself again?

…

"Are you _serious_?" Romano demanded.

He was on the phone with Seborga, and what the other reported was certainly alarming. Gods were approaching the Washroom, and though they had taken precautions, there was little they could do against gods with a mission.

And since they were _India's_ gods…

"Do you have a plan in place?" Romano asked.

"Well, Egypt called in a few of his own gods to help," Seborga said. "But we don't know if they'll be enough."

Romano sighed.

"When did you hear about this?" he asked.

"A few hours ago," Seborga responded.

"And why didn't you tell us earlier?"

"Because it was late and you were jet-lagged. Nepal isn't exactly the picture of happiness over here, if you catch my drift."

Romano grumbled. Yes, he probably wouldn't have been happy with Seborga if the younger Italian had called him a few hours ago. And neither would Italy have been.

"Okay, I see your point," he said. "I'll talk with Heracles. See if he can send some of his own gods along."

"Grazie, frat…"

There was a yelp from the other end, and Romano quirked a brow, a small sliver of worry stirring in his soul.

"Merda!" Seborga exclaimed. "They're here!"

"Crap," Romano muttered. "I'll talk with Hera right now. Do _not_ do anything reckless!"

"I'll try."

"Do _not_ say that you'll _try_. Stay out of danger, okay?"

"Okay. I understand, fratello."

The dial tone met his ear, and Romano immediately set out to find his lover. They _needed_ to send as much help to the Washroom as possible. Not only was it an important base, but many of their members were there. And unfortunately, a god had the power to kill a nation. Considering India was taken there to torture, the gods _would_ be angry at them.

…

Botswana was pacing nervously. He needed to discuss something important with either of the two South Africas, since he had the feeling that they were running the Alvoran Africans, but he hadn't seen either of them yet. It was before breakfast, and so he _should_ see them soon…

He jumped when he saw Mozambique getting closer, chatting happily with Colombia. The two female nations ignored him as they approached, but he decided that he might as well speak to Mozambique.

"Um, Theresa?" he called out nervously.

She spun around to face him, eyes wide in curiosity.

"Sim?" she asked.

He swallowed nervously, taking a deep breath to steel himself.

"You see, I've been thinking lately…" he said. "And… I decided that… I want to be an official member of Alvora."

The two of them stared at him in surprise. Clearly, it was not what they had been expecting.

"What brought _this_ on?" Mozambique asked.

He shifted nervously, blushing slightly.

"I just… I noticed how close you all are," he said, "and how worried you can be when one of you is in danger. And I… I mean, I've already helped you out a few times. I just… I like your camaraderie, and I'd like to be a part of it."

The two female nations shared a look, and Colombia shrugged.

"I don't think anyone would have a problem with that," she said. "Though, you may want to make it official with the regional leaders. Since you're an African, you may want to have a word with Anika."

Botswana's shoulders slumped when he heard that. He still needed to wait for White to wake up. And considering what he'd heard, that wouldn't be for a while longer.

"Don't worry about it," Mozambique said. "We'd love it if you join us, Sammy. I can't think of a single person that would complain. If you want, I could speak to Miguel and give him the news."

Botswana had to take a moment to remember who Miguel was, before he realised that it was Portugal. Alvora's leader. And if _he_ accepted him, then Botswana knew that he would be welcome among all of them.

He didn't realise that he wanted acceptance so badly. That he wanted to be part of something.

He didn't have many friends, and mostly spent his time with his neighbours. They had been the closest things he had to friends. But even then, he sort of faded into the background. It was a bit sad. But to see the two of them smiling at him warmly, it made his own heart fill with warmth.

That was also why he had originally volunteered to help Alvora. He was yearning for the sense of belonging, but also because he knew that he was able to do something that the others didn't seem capable of doing. He was useful for a change.

Mozambique ruffled his hair, startling him from his thoughts.

"Breakfast's soon," she said. "Come on, let's go."

Botswana smiled softly.

…

"You're _kidding_ ," Romania said, eyes wide. "Why didn't you say that before?"

The phone was gripped in his hand, and he could hear a nervous chuckle on the other side.

"Well, we were kind of hoping that it would be settled on its own," Serbia said. "But if you're planning a rescue _now_ , then it might be best to be careful. Also, do you have _any_ idea what time it is right now?"

Romania had called Canada's phone to hear whether he was willing to help with the rescue mission (again), but Serbia was the one that answered. And then, after explaining to Serbia what was going on, the other revealed that they had contacted the Hindu gods to help.

Would have been nice to learn about this earlier!

"Sorry about that," Romania said. "So… I'll have a word with Miguel. See if he thinks we should try to help them."

"I don't think they're going to be too happy," Serbia said. "Then again, they might appreciate it if we go to rescue the nations there. That way, they can focus on taking Requiem down."

"Alright. So, are you guys going to join us or not?"

There was silence for a moment.

"I don't want to wake Matthew up," Serbia said. "And besides, he went last time. I guess it's my turn now."

"Alright," Romania said. "I'll have a word with Miguel. I'll probably see you soon."

He ended the call, before he went to find Portugal. He was a bit surprised to find the Iberian nation outside, in the garden. There was a break in the weather, and a small amount of sunlight was streaming down in the garden.

Portugal turned towards him, and he cocked his head to the side.

"Did you speak to Matthew?" he asked.

"Nu," Romania responded. "Damjan answered. And they had a bit of a surprise that would require us to change our plans."

Portugal merely stared, his silence asking his question.

"Apparently, David managed to call Raj's gods to help him," Romania said. "Vishnu, at the very least, was furious when he realised that Raj is in danger, and none of them even realised it."

"So… the gods are involved now?" Portugal asked for clarification.

"That's right. Shall we lend them a hand?"

Portugal gave a small smile.

"That sounds like an outstanding idea," he said. "I also received a call from Theresa. Sounds like you get your wish. Botswana asked to join our ranks."

Romania's eyes widened.

"I was joking," he said. "But… Well, it's good to know that we're increasing our ranks."

"Hm," Portugal hummed, nodding his head. "It's great. More and more nations are seeing our side of things. And I feel better now. With Botswana actually being one of our allies, it won't feel as though we're taking advantage of him. An empire taking advantage of the nations under its control."

Portugal looked uncomfortable, and Romania understood. He felt the same. He remembered his time as a member of the Ottoman Empire. He also had some grief from the Romans. Portugal also suffered under Rome. And now Rome's grandsons were causing more suffering.

It was a vicious cycle. One that they intended to break. It was the main goal of Alvora, after all: to break the cycle of cruelty from one nation to another.

By any means necessary.

…

Vishnu gritted his teeth, staring at the base. There was a magical barrier around the place, and it seemed as though it was designed to keep this place outside of everyone's notice. It could only be found if someone knew what to look for.

And they were looking for India.

There was an extra layer, meant to keep them out. But it was new, and fragile. They had nothing to fear.

But then he sensed it. It would seem the enemies had gods of their own. He glanced around at the others, noting that they had noticed it as well. Kali especially looked excited. It had been a while.


	60. Chapter 59

**Thanks to AquaEclipse for reviewing.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 59**

Prussia was curled up in a dark room, his thoughts racing. That was what had been happening since Egypt came to visit him. At least Egypt didn't completely win. And for some reason, he decided to untie him.

Romania and Wales had taught them ages ago how to resist interference from other magic users, at least on a mental level. Based on the magic, he could tell that Egypt had tried to use some sort of mind control, but the defence he had built up with the help of Romania and Wales was enough to ward him off.

He was just glad that none of them had decided to physically torture him. It became a lot harder to defend one's mind if they had pain to worry about.

But then Egypt decided to scramble his mind. It was a horrible process where his memories, thoughts and emotions were all scattered in the wrong places. It was the one thing that Romania and Wales couldn't teach them to defend against, due to the random nature of the effect. When something like this happened, the victim became pretty unstable. But there were a few things to help with that.

He wrapped his hands around his throat, watching the scenery unfold. It was as though his mind was deliberately showing him his childhood with Lithuania. How he had bullied him. He squeezed his hands, and his eyes were shut in the process. One of the methods in a case like this was a temporary death. And the only weapon he had at his disposal was his hands.

Well, he _could_ always bash his head against the wall or floor…

He looked up when he felt the ground shake, his hands moving away from his throat. Something was happening. But would it be something good or bad?

…

"Why the hell would you _do_ something like that?" Turkey demanded.

Spain had held off on telling the others about Andorra and Alvora until breakfast, lying at dinner by saying that Andorra wasn't feeling well and that was the reason why he wouldn't be joining them. France was the only one that knew the truth until this moment.

All eyes were on the Spaniard, who only sighed.

"Because I'm worried about my brother," Spain said.

"It's fine to worry about Portugal," China said. "But…"

"He wasn't referring to _that_ brother," France sighed. "Both of us saw Andorra as our petit frère."

"Really?" Hong Kong asked. "I thought for sure that he was more like your son."

The two Romance nations were staring at the young Asian, who only shrugged.

"If you two are in denial…" Australia said.

"We actually made it official last night," France said, smirking.

"Finally! Honestly, mates, it was a bit annoying how you seemed to pretend that there's nothing going on."

"Could we please focus first?" China asked. "You took Andorra to Alvora without consulting us. Why? How do you know that he won't be turned into _their_ puppet, or worse?"

"Because I trust Portugal," Spain said. "And he cares about Andorra the same way I do."

"And how do you know that he won't betray you?" Russia asked. "After all, America trusted whoever killed him. Japan had trusted the one that killed him."

"But Alvora hasn't killed _anyone_."

"But we still don't know a lot about them," Saudi Arabia added. "How do you know that they _won't_ betray us?"

"I think it's safe to say that _Portugal_ won't betray _Spain_ ," Mongolia said. "One thing I noticed is that Portugal, and actually everyone that's part of Alvora, have a soft spot for their family. And if Portugal sees Andorra as a sibling, then Andorra would be safe as well."

"That's what I've been saying!" Spain said. "And besides, we can't think of a way to undo their brainwashing. Maybe Alvora, with all of their work behind the scenes, have figured out a way, or at least have a _plan_ on what to do."

Taiwan and Latvia sank down into their seats. They had both been informed on what had happened, and that they were also puppets of Requiem. Both of them were horrified when they learned that they had hurt people close to them.

"And if they can't?" Saudi Arabia challenged.

"Nicolás is at least safer with Alvora than he is with us," France said. "If Requiem gets a hold of him…"

"And what about us?" Taiwan asked weakly.

"I have my suspicions. Tell me, before yesterday, did you have any symptoms? Headaches, dizzy spells, blackouts?"

Taiwan and Latvia exchanged looks, before each of them shook their heads.

"No," Taiwan said. "Nothing like that."

"And then there was the hypnosis that unlocked Andorra's memories," France sighed. "I suspect that Nicolás's conditioning might be flawed."

"You have a point," Mongolia said, his eyes widening in realisation. "He had already been suffering adverse effects, and after our hypnosis, his mind's become further unstable. That means that he's become a loose end, as far as Requiem's concerned. And Requiem doesn't like loose ends. If they find out about him, he _would_ be in danger. And if we're as unprepared as we were yesterday, then we would have surely failed him."

There was silence as they all processed what it meant.

"Still…" China said. "I feel a bit uncomfortable with the fact that one of them was _here_."

"So, what are we going to do now?" Saudi Arabia asked. "With the non-involved nations, I mean."

"Vietnam and the others are on their way here," China said. "That's _them_ taken care of, at least."

"We can arrange a meeting with the other Middle Eastern nations," Turkey said, looking at Saudi Arabia. "Tell them what's what."

Saudi cocked his head to the side, pondering the suggestion, before nodding his head.

"The North Africans won't be able to attend, since they're under Alvora's control," Saudi said. "But the others we can manage."

"There's _one_ hiccup," Cyprus said, looking at Turkey. "The others won't believe you if you mention that Greece is part of some ancient conspiracy."

Turkey winced at that.

"You have a point," he said, before turning to Saudi. "So, do you think that _you_ could tell the others that part?"

Saudi looked a bit unimpressed, but he nodded his head.

"Let's just hope that Kiwi didn't go back to my house yet," Australia said. "All of the Oceanic nations are gathered there. I could go and tell them. But… Most of them aren't equipped for a war. They're islands, after all, and some of them are so small that you _really_ have to zoom in to see them on the map."

"We understand," China said, glancing towards Hong Kong. "We shouldn't force any of them. But you'll need to get them to a safe location."

"Of course."

"I can try contacting the South and Central Americans," Spain said. "Hopefully, not _all_ of my former colonies want to see me killed."

"Well, Colombia and Ecuador are members of Alvora, and I doubt Portugal would have allowed anyone to join who had any ill will towards his brother," Mongolia said. "There's a chance that not all of your colonies want you dead."

"…Thanks," Spain said sarcastically.

"I can try to contact some of the other Eastern Europeans," Russia mused. "Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia…"

"Call Armenia," Estonia advised. "Georgia won't answer if it's you calling. Besides, the other two will do anything if Armenia says they have to do something."

"That's true," Ukraine said. "Armenia is often annoyed by that."

"She's also a bit dense, isn't she?" Mongolia asked.

"What do you mean?" Latvia asked.

"It's obvious," Ukraine said. "Both Azerbaijan and Georgia are in love with Armenia, but because they're always quarrelling with each other, Armenia isn't aware of that fact."

"At least those two have an excuse for their fighting," Cyprus said, glancing towards Turkey.

"Hey, I have an excuse!" Turkey said, noticing Cyprus's gaze. "And besides, it's not an excuse. It's a reason!"

"Sure…"

"Why don't we just send an email to everyone that isn't a member of either group to explain the situation?" Hong Kong asked.

"Because they won't believe us," China sighed. "It took a _lot_ of convincing for _us_ to believe. They're not going to believe it if it's in an email."

"We also need to contact the British siblings," France said. "I feel a bit uncomfortable with both sides being there."

"Actually, it's safer for them if they _didn't_ know," Spain said. "Portugal explained it to me. Ireland and Wales reached a truce, and the truce will remain in effect as long as the others are unaware of what's happening."

"And what happens if they find out on their own?" China asked.

"…I'm not sure. But part of the truce is that they're not allowed to hurt any of the others. And they're also not allowed to tell them anything about either group."

"Looks like they were prepared," Russia said. "We already know that Africa is out. France, do you think you will be able to contact the remainder of Europe?"

"Netherlands and his siblings," France mused. "Liechtenstein… Oui, I think I can manage that."

"Then it sounds like we have a plan," Turkey said. "A bit shaky, but at least it's _something_."

…

Vishnu nodded towards Ganesha. The elephant-headed god had managed to break down the barrier, and now that the barrier was gone, he could sense India. He could sense the pain and the fear. And it disgusted him that they hadn't been able to sense it before.

Based on the expressions on all of the others' faces, he knew that they could sense India as well. Their faces were a mixture of concern, horror and anger. They knew that India wasn't weak. Which made this all worse.

"Get Raj," Vishnu instructed. "And if anyone stands in your way… Show him that we are _not_ to be trifled with!"

The others were all in agreement, and some looked especially angry. It was to be expected. India was _their_ precious child, and if anyone harmed him, then they had to answer to _them_.

…

Vietnam's group came trudging up to France's house, a bit annoyed at being instructed to fly all the way to France, and not even having the nation himself greet them at the airport. They were also tired, and in Cambodia's case, a bit hungry.

They hoped that France would make it worth their time.

Thailand was the one to knock on the door, and they waited a while before the door opened. However, it wasn't France, or even a European, that opened the door. It was Taiwan.

"Lien!" she cried, launching herself at Vietnam.

Vietnam was startled, and was about to lecture the younger female for doing something like that, but then she realised that Taiwan was crying.

"Mei?" she asked. "Did… Did any of them hurt you or something?"

"Not _them_ ," Taiwan sobbed, shaking her head and hugging tighter.

The new arrivals were confused and worried. They noticed Hong Kong's arrival, and he looked a bit hesitant.

"Glad you could come," he said. "Come in."

"Leon, what happened to Mei?" Vietnam demanded.

"We'll tell you inside. Please."

They saw the desperation on the normally stoic teen's face, and decided that it was best to do as he asked.

"Alright," Thailand said. "We'll do as you ask. But we want answers."

"Of course," Hong Kong said.

…

They had separated as soon as they entered the building. They could sense that India was inside, but the nature of the building made it difficult to pinpoint _where_ he was. And moreover, they were eager to face the deities they were sensing. They wanted to prove their superiority, and punish those that took their nation.

Kali was the first to run into one of these gods. It was a woman with a lioness head.

"That's far enough," the lioness said. "You go no further."

"You look like a proud warrior," Kali observed, adjusting her stance. "I am Kali, the goddess of time, creation, destruction and power."

The other goddess smirked, adjusting her stance as well.

"I am the warrior goddess Sekhmet," she said. "One of the solar deities."

Kali grinned. Yes, this sounded _very_ promising.

…

Yemen looked at his phone, feeling a bit nervous. He had received a message from Saudi Arabia, requesting a meeting for all of the Middle Eastern nations. Apparently, Afghanistan and the others were asked to come as well, just to emphasise how serious this was. The word 'urgent' wasn't even necessary.

Oman had received the same message, and the two were silent as they mulled it over.

"We'll have to ask Port- I mean, Miguel, about this," Oman said.

The two sought out Portugal, who was watching over Romania and Andorra as the former was doing something to the latter with his glowing hands on either side of Andorra's head. Portugal glanced towards the door, where the two Middle Eastern nations were watching. He held up a finger, before leaving as silently as possible. The other two followed him a bit farther away, so as not to distract Romania.

"Is there something bothering you?" Portugal asked.

"Saudi Arabia asked for a meeting of the Middle Eastern nations, to take place tonight," Yemen said. "What should we do?"

"You should go," Portugal said. "If you received the request for a meeting, then that means they don't know about your allegiance yet. We can ask if Lebanon and Jordan received the same request. You can go, and you can see what they have to say. You could also reveal your allegiance, or you could choose to remain silent. Either way, you should take advantage of this opportunity. The others don't know all the details about Requiem. If you choose to reveal your allegiance, then you can warn the others about them. But if Pakistan or Palestine are there… Please, remain silent."

They nodded in understanding. They had been informed of the fact that Palestine and Pakistan had joined Requiem. To see them there and reveal their allegiance would have been suicide. Saudi Arabia and Turkey at the very least knew about Requiem's crimes, and if either of them dared reveal _their_ identities, then it would be to their disadvantage.

"Should we call Lebanon or Jordan?" Oman asked.

"Sim," Portugal said. "They also need to keep up the illusion, even if they're protectorates. Though, it might be an unfortunate time to call… We need to make arrangements for them to be at the meeting as well."

"Understood," Yemen said.

It felt a bit strange to take orders from another nation. But Yemen could see that Portugal wasn't trying to be mean about it. He was trying to be nice to them. And he made it clear that they still had a choice.

But that didn't change the fact that Portugal was a leader, and a former empire at that. There was still the clear authority, and it was subtly clear to everyone that Portugal wouldn't allow them a choice if it was a matter regarding what he really wanted. But it was a fair trade.

"Looks like we have a meeting to prepare for," Oman said, clapping a hand on Yemen's shoulder.

Surprisingly, out of everything that's been happening, that one sounded like the worst.

…

"Are you sure about it?" Serbia asked.

Haiti, North Korea and Lithuania had arrived by means of Haiti's magic a while ago. Since Romania went last time, and since he was helping Andorra, Haiti was chosen to be their magical aid. Wales would have been a better choice, but he was under house arrest.

The question was directed at Haiti, who was knowingly going to a place with a cold climate. It was well-known that Haiti wasn't pretty fond of the cold.

"I'm sure," Haiti said. "I'm not happy about it, but… The ends justify the means. So, are you ready to go?"

Serbia nodded his head.

"And where are _you_ off to?"

They turned to the direction of the doorway, where they noticed Israel was standing. For the sake of keeping Canada asleep, Serbia had received them in the kitchen.

"We're going to help save Raj and Gilbert," Lithuania said. "Do you want to join us?"

"Of course," Israel said, stepping closer. "What kind of question is that, anyway?"

"They're in Greenland," North said. "Are you sure you feel up to it?"

"I would go through hell for Raj," Israel said, eyes narrowing. "Going to Greenland is going to be a walk in the park."

North nodded his head, satisfied.

"Alright," he said. "Now we just need to get to Akmal and the others, and then our group is set."

…

India's head snapped up when he heard the door open. He could sense that Vishnu and the others were there, but it wasn't any of them that opened the door.

It was Nepal.

"You traitor!" India shouted, struggling in his bonds.

"I'd be more careful of my environment, if I were you," Nepal stated calmly. "In case you haven't realised it, you're completely surrounded by your enemies."

The walls trembled, and India barked out a laugh.

"You're the ones that are foolish," India said. "I can sense them. Vishnu, Shiva, Ganesha, Kali… You don't stand a chance against my gods."

Nepal smirked, sending a jolt of cold fear down India's spine.

"Perhaps _we_ don't stand a chance," Nepal admitted. "But we _also_ have deities on our side. The Egyptian, Greek and Aztec pantheons, to be exact."

India felt a chill when he heard that. That meant that they had a means to defend themselves from his gods' wrath. He had faith that they would save him, but… how difficult would it be?

He recalled some of his conversations with Egypt, and it suddenly made more sense. Despite everything, India was still free to openly follow his gods. While Egypt _wasn't_.

"Why are you here?" India asked at last.

"We hold no delusions that we'd be able to hold off your gods," Nepal said. "The odds are that they would succeed in rescuing you. But I'm not going to allow you to just walk away."

India shivered as Nepal stalked closer.

 **The problem with working with mythology is that you get a bunch of contradictions if you look up more than one source. I'm trying my best with the deities, but like I said, you can find quite a few contradictions.**


	61. Chapter 60

**Thanks to AquaEclipse for reviewing.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 60**

Egypt opened the door to India's cell, blinking a bit when he saw Nepal closing in on India. Nepal spun around, a sheepish look on his face.

"What are you doing?" Egypt asked, stepping into the room.

"One final punishment," Nepal said, turning slightly towards India.

"That was _my_ intention," Egypt said, walking closer.

India was looking between the two, a guarded look on his face.

"I thought _you_ said that we shouldn't try to make things worse for ourselves," Nepal remarked.

"I did," Egypt agreed. "Which is why I'm surprised to see _you_ here. As for me… I have something in mind that wouldn't leave a mark, and which wouldn't be noticed by his gods."

Nepal had a curious glint in his eyes, and he stepped back, allowing Egypt easy access.

"What are you intending to do to me?" India demanded.

"Something I had been meaning to do if you hadn't been captured," Egypt said. "I wanted to do this sooner, but I had to make a few preparations. And I also had to deal with Prussia."

A flare of anger surged in India's eyes, and he growled ferally.

"What did you do to him?!" he demanded.

Egypt smirked.

"You know, I have to say, your loyalty is _admirable_ ," he said. "Here I am, admitting that I'm going to do something to you, and you wish to know what I did to your ally."

India narrowed his eyes, and Egypt scoffed.

"I just messed around with his mind," he said. "He proved to be determined in making things difficult."

"How could you enjoy things like this?" India hissed in rage.

Egypt shrugged, before removing the thing that he had prepared. It looked simple: a ruby scarab. India eyed it, obviously suspecting that there was more to the gem than appeared.

He was right. Egypt muttered a few words in Ancient Egyptian, and the scarab came to life, looking for all the world like a red version of its natural cousin. The thing turned to India, instinctively knowing its target, and India kept a close eye on it, a hint of nervous fear on his face.

Egypt placed it on India's lap, and he watched in rapt fascination as the scarab burrowed into his skin. India cried out in pain, but the creature left no mark. Still, if he could see through India's trousers, he would have seen a bulge moving upwards, making its way to India's heart.

"Come on," Egypt said, grabbing Nepal and leading him out. "They would be able to hear him screaming."

Nepal looked back at the thrashing India, until the door barred his view. He then turned to Egypt, who was turned towards Anubis, who had been standing guard in case his time was more limited than he had thought.

"What _was_ that?" Nepal asked.

"A curse," Egypt said simply. "The scarab will make its way to his heart, where it would then start to take effect."

"Will it kill him?"

Egypt chuckled.

"He'll _wish_ he was so lucky," he said.

…

Shiva gritted his teeth as he stared at his opponent during a short pause. Of course, it was typical that two gods of chaos and destruction would fight against each other.

But he had to admit, Set was a good opponent, and Shiva was reminded of days long past. Why did they allow those days to end?

The pause was over, and the two gods leapt at each other again.

…

"Something is _definitely_ going on inside," Malaysia remarked.

The rescue group had gone to Malaysia's group, and only Malaysia, Brunei and Sierra Leone had decided to join them. No one was going to allow either Indonesia or East Timor to approach Requiem again on such short notice.

And, perhaps, they might be able to find a clue about Singapore.

"Well, the Hindu gods are involved," North Korea said. "But I don't know why they would be shaking the place up so much."

"Do you think… Requiem has their own deities?" Serbia asked.

"It's possible," Haiti said. "After all, they have Greece and Egypt, and I don't know if Denmark has a connection with the Norse gods, and then there's the Roman pantheon…"

"…Agewe, I think you should contact the loa," Lithuania said. "I get the feeling that we might need their help."

"…You are not friends of Heracles."

They widened their eyes, and spun around to see a woman standing there. She wore armour, and was scrutinising them with a sharp gaze.

"Agewe…" Malaysia said, "I think you need to hurry with the loa."

Haiti nodded his head, his eyes wide.

It was clear to them what this woman was: a goddess.

…

"This is still a horrible time for something like this," Lebanon groaned.

Equatorial Guinea had arrived with his magic to take the two female nations to the Middle Eastern meeting taking place. Portugal had asked for the assistance. Once the two had seen that they indeed received the message for a meeting later that day, they realised that they had no choice. And that they needed magic.

Still, it was _very_ early in the morning.

"I'm sorry," Equatorial Guinea said. "But it's necessary. We don't want to raise any alarms."

"It's fine," Jordan said, waving him off, though he couldn't see it.

He was standing on the other side of the door to allow the two women to get dressed. They were also trying to be as quiet as possible so as not to awaken anyone else.

He jumped a bit when the door opened behind him, revealing two grumpy, but dressed, women.

"Are you ladies ready to go?" he asked.

"Yeah," Jordan said. "Should we leave a note or something?"

"Don't worry. The message will be passed on as soon as possible."

"Let's just get this over with," Lebanon muttered.

…

Black woke up without opening his eyes, feeling groggy. He was trying to piece together what had happened, but it was made difficult by the sharp pain threatening to tear his skull in two. He hissed in pain, turning around in an attempt to alleviate the agony. If he wasn't facing the light, then it should be better, right?

"Themba, are you alright?"

The voice came to him as though from underwater. But even through the fog, he would recognise it anywhere.

"Imane," he croaked.

He felt a hand on his shoulder, and he winced slightly. It would seem that physical contact was also painful to him.

"How do you feel?" she asked gently.

"Sore," he responded.

"Agewe warned that that might be the case. So, he prepared a little something for you."

He smelled it, and his nose crinkled in disgust. Morocco giggled, and he couldn't help but think that her laughter sounded like tinkling bells. His eyelids felt heavy, so he kept them closed.

"He also warned that you'd do that," she said. "Come on. Or do you want me to feed you?"

"It might not be so bad," he said, cracking his eyes open. And then he blinked in alarm. "Um, Imane?"

"What's wrong?"

"I can't see."

Morocco gasped, and he started to feel panicked.

"Quickly, drink up," she said. "Agewe isn't here now, and neither is Caio. Anika's also still asleep…"

"What do you mean, 'still'?" Black asked. "What happened?"

"She exhausted herself while doing construction. Come on, drink up."

Black had no choice, and so swallowed the nasty substance that she was giving him. Not only did it smell horrible, but it tasted even worse. It was also thick and lumpy, and he had the feeling that he wanted to vomit. It would have been a better alternative to drinking this horrible concoction.

When Morocco pulled the cup away, he couldn't help the bubble of wind that escaped his throat. It tasted even nastier the second time around.

"Would you like some water?" Morocco asked.

"That would be nice," he rasped, his face still twisted in disgust.

He could hear her footsteps disappearing, and he leaned back on the pillow. Open or closed, it didn't matter. He couldn't see anything.

Was this what Egypt had done to him? Was it that Egypt had stolen his sight? But… When he returned to his body the previous day, he was still able to see. So, was it a delayed effect or something?

At the very least, the pain was starting to fade. So, perhaps that concoction did _some_ good.

He heard Morocco's footsteps again, and he could feel plastic against his lips. Recognising the bottle for what it was, he allowed the water to go down his throat. Only when the bottle was finished did Morocco pull it away, and he leaned back onto the pillow again.

"Themba, Imane says that you can't see."

He frowned. When did Brazil get there?

"Yebo," he said tiredly. "I'm a bit worried, to be honest."

"Caio should be back soon," Brazil said. "He might have an idea about what to do."

Black nodded his head. He felt tired, and he just wanted to sleep again. But at the same time, he knew that he had been sleeping for a long while, and he was aware of the fact that he was worrying Morocco. So he tried to focus his energy on something else.

"So, where did Caio and Agewe go?" he asked casually.

"Well, Saudi Arabia called a meeting of the Middle Eastern nations," Morocco said. "None of the North Africans are invited. Caio went to fetch Jordan and Lebanon, since they're too far away to make it in time. And Agewe went with another group to rescue Raj and Gilbert."

Black flinched when he heard that.

"They need to watch out for Egypt," he said. "When I saw him… I got the feeling that… And even at the meeting. It was obvious that…"

"Egypt was the one that took charge," Morocco finished for him. "It's obvious that out of the Africans, he's the one we have to be careful of the most."

"I confronted him with the fact that some of their members were brainwashed. He said that he was there of his own volition, and he seemed insulted when I suggested that Peru might have been forced."

"Why Peru?"

"Because he and Egypt are together."

"Oh. I'll tell Garcia. He doesn't know whether or not he wants his brother to be brainwashed or not."

"I'll tell him," Brazil said. "I feel as though I'm intruding."

"Actually, I forgot you're here," Black said. "But… Well, if Anika wakes up… tell her to get Umkhulu. I think he'll have a better idea of what's going on with me."

He gasped when he could feel soft lips on his forehead.

"We'll find out what's causing this," Morocco said. "And we'll fix it. And you and I will punish Egypt together."

He smiled, and Morocco took it as her cue to close the distance between them.

…

India was panting in pain. It felt as though the centre of his chest was on fire. And his entire body was itching.

He had no idea what that bug of Egypt's was supposed to do, but he knew that it wouldn't be anything good. He would need to get rid of it at the first opportunity.

What was taking them so long? He had faith in Vishnu and the others. But… What was _taking_ them so long? Requiem couldn't have been _that_ strong.

His mind drifted to random things he knew about the members, and his thoughts stilled on Egypt, who was currently his biggest tormentor. Legends of the Egyptian gods. It was possible that Egypt had called in his own gods to deal with the threat that India's gods posed.

Did Egypt mention something about having a connection with his pantheon? He remembered that Egypt was complaining about the Islamic Conquest, but did it have anything to do with the Egyptian gods?

His mind was fuzzy. Lack of sleep and pain did that to a person. He couldn't even remember most of the things said. Not to mention there was the whole scrambling of the mind. India was _still_ trying to recover from it.

He could hear the sounds of battle, and he only hoped that things would turn out well for their side.

…

Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Thailand were all staring in shock at China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Taiwan was avoiding everyone's gazes, ashamed of what had happened. The others had already been informed of the fact that Taiwan was one of Requiem's sleepers.

"You've got to be kidding," Vietnam said at last. "This… this is absurd!"

"Unfortunately, it's true," Mongolia said, leaning against the doorframe. "They've been preparing this for a long time."

Cambodia slowly shook his head, and the others were in an equal state of disbelief. None of them could have imagined that this was what was happening. Two organisations that fooled them all, for different reasons. And that at least one of them was willing to murder fellow nations to achieve their goals. That was why Japan was killed.

The last time they heard news from Japan, they learned that all of the prefectures had separated into their own entities. It was the same thing happening in America.

It was with the new information that Laos turned contemplative. That would explain one of his earlier visions of figures in the shadows. What surprised him was that, in the vision, the figures were divided into two groups opposing each other. It would certainly explain a lot.

"What do you know about Bangladesh and the others?" Laos suddenly asked. "None of them are answering our calls."

China and Mongolia exchanged a look.

"Spain has been contacting Portugal," Mongolia said. "I'll see if he's heard anything about that group from his brother."

Mongolia disappeared, and China sighed.

"I know that all of this is overwhelming," he said. "But… We're telling you the truth."

"I believe you," Laos announced. "What you said… actually makes sense, if you think about it."

"In what way?" Vietnam asked.

"It certainly explains why we were all caught by surprise," Laos said. "If they've been planning for a long time, then they knew how to proceed without raising too many flags. By the time we realised that something was wrong, several nations have already been killed."

"And that's only Requiem," China said. "Alvora managed to conquer most of Africa before we became aware of them."

"Most of Africa?" Thailand repeated. "How? _Why_?"

"Don't know," Hong Kong said. "But it looks like they're at least taking care of them."

"What do you mean?" Cambodia asked.

"The GDP of pretty much every African nation has gone up," China explained. "The only exceptions are Algeria, Sudan, Nigeria, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda."

"In other words, those you suspect were taken by Requiem," Vietnam said. "Have you tried contacting those that were conquered by Alvora?"

"Can't," Hong Kong said. "They're bound with a magical contract that prevents them from speaking about Alvora to outsiders."

"You actually believe that?"

"There are methods that fall in the natural realm of possibilities for nations," China said absently. "They might have used one of those methods."

The others were silent as they processed the information.

"I think we need to learn a bit more about these organisations," Thailand said, glancing at Laos. "Perhaps meditate on it?"

Laos sighed, but nodded his head. That was all that he was doing lately. And all that he was good for.

Mongolia returned, looking a little out of breath.

"I asked Spain about it," he said. "Bangladesh and the others were captured by Requiem, along with India."

"You've got to be kidding!" Vietnam exclaimed, her eyes wide.

Laos winced. That would explain at least part of the vision he received on the plane. But the rest of the vision disturbed him.

"What are we going to do about it?" Laos asked.

The others all turned to look at him in surprise. Laos wasn't usually one to suggest something like this. He preferred to stay out of conflicts, and everyone knew that any military involvement on his part was extremely reluctant. Vietnam had been with him during the civil war, and knew how painful everything for him had been. She had been the one to comfort him through it all. Even now, he would usually prefer to see how things played out. He rarely, if ever, wanted to take an active role in anything. So, for him to ask what they were going to do was shocking to everyone else.

"I don't know," China eventually admitted. "We have no idea _where_ Requiem takes their prisoners or anything. I know that Tibet had also been captured and is being tortured. I _want_ to help him…"

"But it's an obvious trap," Hong Kong said. "His connection with Tibet isn't strong enough for him to feel if he's in trouble. Which means that anything China feels regarding Tibet is deliberate."

"He _was_ in his land," China supplied. "But the last few torture sessions, I could feel that he's somewhere else, but I don't know _where_."

"Tibet's not someone easy to get to," Laos said, frowning. "How _did_ they manage it?"

"Nepal is one of Requiem's members," Taiwan said weakly. "And Tibet trusts Nepal."

Laos closed his eyes. Of course, that explained the previous vision he'd received as well. The others were angry, hurt, scared and betrayed, with the exception of Nepal. He was _happy_. It was because his betrayal had borne results.

"How did you know that you could trust any of us?" Cambodia asked.

"I spent a long time trying to figure out who's in which group," Mongolia said. "And I'll admit, the sleepers took me by surprise. But the four of you, I know, can be trusted."

"And what about Alvora?" Laos asked. "From the sounds of it, they're the lesser evil. If they can be called evil in the first place."

"The problem with them is that they're loyal to each other. They place their loyalty above anyone else's sake. And that includes their own countries."

 **I may or may not have watched** _ **The Mummy**_ **movies a few dozen times.**


	62. Chapter 61

**Thanks to AquaEclipse for reviewing.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 61**

Turkey fidgeted a bit, before glancing towards Saudi Arabia.

"How are you so calm?" he asked.

"I'm not," Saudi said. "All of this… we know who the official members are. The sleepers bother me. What if someone at the meeting is a sleeper? And we only know about Requiem doing something like this. What if the other group does it as well?"

Turkey sighed. The two of them were on a plane heading towards Saudi Arabia's land, where they would meet with the others. They felt bad about leaving France's group, but they needed to inform everyone about what was going on. They needed to enlighten everyone about the betrayal going around everywhere.

"You could have fooled me," Turkey said. "At least we know the Cyprus brothers are safe."

TRNC, quiet kid that he was, was with his older brother, and they were with France's group. It was obvious how serious the situation was, since Spain didn't gush about the cute kid in their midst.

Turkey wondered if that was the reason why Spain had so many colonies. And then it came to bite him in the ass. Epically. Not that Turkey was one to talk.

Hungary, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Greece and Egypt… Was Turkey the one responsible for getting them all to join requiem? And Romania and Serbia in Alvora…

Turkey refused to feel guilty. He was doing his job as a nation. As an empire. And he'd _tried_ to be friendly, but he also needed to let them know that he was still the boss. He couldn't be soft on them. And if they were holding any of that against him…

Well, then they were just ungrateful brats who couldn't accept the way the world worked. Turkey was just doing his job!

"You're wondering if you're accountable for their involvement," Saudi Arabia suddenly interrupted.

Turkey shot a light glare in Saudi's direction.

"I hate it when you do that," he said. "…I don't know. I mean… I was just doing my job as a nation, you know?"

Saudi sighed.

"Every nation has dirtied their hands at some point in time," he said. "And many of the stains were from other nations. How many of us have actively tried to snuff out the culture and history of another nation?"

Snuffing out cultures…

Yes, Turkey, as the Ottoman Empire, was guilty of doing that. But it was necessary.

Turkey was reminded of the young Greece and Egypt. He had been trying to teach them the way of Islam, and while Egypt appeared to have eventually given in, there were still the times when he thought he heard them praying in their native languages. And they…

They still worshipped their mothers' gods.

The realisation slammed into him, and he gasped. He ignored Saudi's look as the pieces fit into place.

Greece and Egypt still revered the gods of old. But they weren't the only ones. He recalled Spain complaining on more than one occasion about Mexico clinging to the Aztec ways. Denmark would often speak about the Norse gods as well. But, there was no room for them in the modern world.

There had been a reference to Requiem wishing to restore the empires of old. This was probably what they had in mind. They were hoping to restore things to the way they were before.

"…Egypt's been burning mosques," Turkey muttered.

"What?" Saudi asked.

"Haven't you been checking the news?"

"Of course. I noticed it as well. But, why is it significant _now_?"

"Because I think they're still pagans. They're trying to restore the world to what it was before. They're trying to restore their old religions."

Saudi Arabia gasped at the realisation. The burning of the mosques… it was a warning.

Turkey was aware of how much bloodshed had come with the spread of Islam, and many of the Christian nations were aware of the bloodshed that accompanied the spread of Christianity. It was part of Requiem's goals. They were going to return the favour.

…

Ganesha hadn't run into any interference yet. Part of him felt relieved, while another part was worried. He knew that the longer they went without interference, the worse the interference would be.

He came to a stop next to a door. He could sense a familiar presence in there. It wasn't India, but someone that he was supposed to know.

He opened the door, and he could see a white-haired figure in the corner. The other lifted his head, revealing red eyes, though they were a bit foggy. Ganesha recognised him as one of India's friends.

"Awesome," he muttered sarcastically. "Now I'm seeing elephants."

Ganesha realised that he thought that he was a hallucination, and frowned.

"I would have thought that Raj would have spoken about us," he said.

The nation blinked a few times, before his eyes widened.

"You… you're one of the Hindu gods," he said in realisation. "One of _Raj's_ gods."

"Indeed," Ganesha said, before he turned around. "Come."

The nation attempted to scramble to his feet, and the elephant-headed god honestly found it to be a bit pathetic. Still, he could sense that this nation was recently the victim of a mental attack, and so he waited patiently.

"So, where's Raj?" the nation asked.

"I do not know," Ganesha admitted. "Something in here is preventing us from seeing him."

"'Us'? You're saying that there are more of you here?"

"And the enemy has deities of their own. It was necessary for many of us to come."

He wasn't looking at him, but he could sense the nation's grin.

"Awesome," he said.

…

"Agewe, are there any sacrificial rituals that we should perform?" Lithuania asked.

Haiti gave a breathless chuckle. More gods had arrived, and based on their attire, they concluded that they were members of the Greek pantheon. But before any of them could attack, Haiti's loa appeared. He knew that he needed to properly thank them later, but for now, they needed to find their missing friends.

They were running through the facility, but they all froze when they heard shrieking. It was female, and it was bloodthirsty, and it was… _happy_.

"Oh _lovely_ ," Israel muttered. "Kali's here."

"Doesn't she hate you?" Haiti asked.

"Yep."

North Korea placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"I wouldn't want to be in your shoes," he said.

Israel sighed, but before anyone else could say anything, a nearby door opened. They all tensed, expecting an enemy, and they weren't wrong. South Korea walked out, a surprised look on his face, before his face twisted in a dark smirk.

"Well, if it isn't my dear _brother_ ," South said. "I thought I heard your voice."

"Yong," North snarled, withdrawing his weapon.

None of them missed Nepal sidling up behind South, and Israel looked as though he was about to fly in a rage as well.

"You!" he snarled. "You traitor!"

Nepal cocked his head to the side.

"Traitor?" he repeated. "I don't recall betraying you."

"You betrayed Raj!" Israel snarled. "He liked you! He thought you were friends! And you betrayed the others as well!"

Nepal smirked when the reason for Israel's ire became clear.

"I see," he said. "So, you're angry at me on your lover's behalf. Tell me, are you curious to know what happened to him?"

Lithuania and Haiti had to restrain Israel as he attempted to lunge at Nepal, who cackled at the sight.

"You know, before joining Yong, I saw Egypt do something to India," Nepal continued. "I asked Egypt about it, and he told me that India would _wish_ for death in light of what he'd done!"

Malaysia and Sierra Leone had to help restrain Israel. Haiti gritted his teeth, and then froze. He could sense something, or some _one_ , nearby. Someone that was far stronger than a nation.

He turned around, and it took him a while to recognise the motif the god had. He relaxed when he realised that it was Hindu, which meant…

"Um, David?" Haiti said. "Could you please turn around and tell me if you recognise him?"

Israel at first turned to him with a confused look, anger still in place, before he turned to look behind him and stopped trying to lunge at Nepal.

"Brahma," he whispered.

Haiti looked back at Nepal and South Korea, and he noticed that Nepal's smirk had fallen, his face turning many shades paler.

"So, what were you about to say about Raj?" Brahma asked. He turned his attention to Israel. "You and your friends may leave. I need to have a word with _these_ two."

Israel frantically nodded his head, and Haiti made the mental note to ask Israel about it as they released their friend, before taking a nearby intersection. North lingered for a moment, before following the others.

…

Australia was fidgeting nervously. He was on a plane, heading back to his own country, and the flight wasn't fast enough.

Luckily, he was the only passenger. An advantage of being a nation was that they had the option of having private planes. And this was the very plane that he and New Zealand had used to get to France in the first place.

He still couldn't believe how his brother had betrayed them. Betrayed _him_. That New Zealand had been involved in England's murder in some way. And he couldn't even inform the other British nations, since it was safer for them _not_ to know about what was going on.

Wales and Ireland… He'd _liked_ the two of them. And both of them were plotting with different groups to flip the whole world on its head. Both of them had kept secrets from them. Both of them had manipulated them.

Was Ireland the one that convinced New Zealand to join? And if that was the case, _when_ had it happened? Was New Zealand still a child?

Australia wanted to hope that New Zealand had been manipulated as a child. In that event, New Zealand was just as much a victim as England was. Sure, the thought of a child being manipulated into joining a group of murderous psychopaths didn't make him feel comfortable, but it was better than the idea of New Zealand being there of his own volition, _knowing_ what it implied.

But what if he had been brainwashed?

Australia felt sick just thinking about Requiem, so he decided to move his attention to Alvora. Mongolia had revealed that many of the nations had been recruited as children. White South Africa, for example, was a member _long_ before she was colonised by Netherlands. _Netherlands_ , the _first_ nation to call her a colony. Alright, so that might not have been his intention, but _still_. And Malaysia, Indonesia and East Timor… Children. Brazil… a child. They had been raised on these beliefs. They didn't know any better.

The implications of it was softened a bit when Mongolia pointed out that that was how religions worked as well. Spain had to grudgingly agree while revealing that it turned out that his brother _wasn't_ religious, which made the whole Inquisition thing even worse.

Australia had to admit that he didn't know too much about it, so Spain had given him a brief history lesson. And he had to admit, it made him feel a bit sorry for Portugal. He had to deal with a policy that victimised people like him. It would have been like having Germany being a Jew during the Nazi era.

And what about the others? What kind of crap did they have to go through? Did Requiem have to go through the same?

He wanted to _know_. He wanted to ask New Zealand about it, but he didn't want to call him at the time. He didn't want to be lied to again. He didn't want to hear that _he_ had somehow pushed his brother into participating in something like this.

Besides, he couldn't call at the moment, since he didn't have reception.

His first order of business was to go back to the other Oceanic nations. Hopefully, New Zealand hadn't beaten him there. And then he needed to let them know about what was going on. About how New Zealand was actually a wolf in sheep's clothing. About how there was danger looming about.

He was also dreading having to tell Tuvalu about Peru's involvement. Ever since the blackbirding thing, she had been terrified of him. Actually, considering that part of their shared history, it wasn't too difficult to imagine that Peru, and by extension the rest of Requiem, were manipulative and had little regard for the ones they manipulated.

He also needed to get them to a safer location. Luckily, he was Australia. Most, if not all, of his country was dangerous terrain. And it wasn't just the wildlife. The good thing was that not even New Zealand knew about all of his little hidey-holes.

Australia would take the other island nations to a place where they could be safe. And then he would join in the fight against Requiem. And, if necessary, Alvora.

…

"He's _blind_?!" Botswana repeated.

Morocco nodded her head, a concerned frown on her face. She had grown too worried to wait for Equatorial Guinea, and so had sought out someone else with magic that could help.

Hopefully.

"I think it was when he confronted Egypt," Morocco said. "His power is similar to astral projection, in the sense that he could access another person's mind remotely while essentially sleeping. I was hoping that _you_ might be able to help."

Botswana bit his lip.

"I can try," he said. "But without knowing what exactly was done to him… I have no guarantee that I might be able to help. There's also the possibility that I might be making things worse."

"But if you can do _anything_ …" Morocco begged.

"I'll try."

Morocco hugged him, surprising the Southern African.

"Thank you," she whispered. "I'm counting on you."

…

"Where's he supposed to be again?" Western Sahara complained.

"Somewhere around here," Houtbaai explained. "Sorry I couldn't get us closer."

One advantage of being a micronation was that they could instantly appear somewhere. However, it became harder to do when they had someone else accompanying them. Their aim tended to be thrown off, and they ended up having to do some walking.

Like now.

"I guess it can't be helped," Sahara sighed.

They had been asked by Morocco to seek out Khoisan. Houtbaai had not been happy to hear that something had happened to Black which would necessitate seeing the old tribe. And Houtbaai didn't like being in such an arid area. Still, she wouldn't mind seeing him again.

"There it is!" Houtbaai exclaimed, smiling as the settlement came into view.

She broke into a run, and Sahara cursed before she followed after her. Still, knowing that they were close to victory was satisfactory.

The old man managed to see them, and he quickly stood up, before being tackled by the teenager.

"Oupa!" Houtbaai exclaimed.

"It's strange to see _you_ here," he remarked. "Are Anika and Themba too busy?"

Houtbaai grimaced, before she pulled away from Khoisan.

"Actually, that's why we're here," she said. "Imane called and asked us to get you. Themba… Something happened to him."

Khoisan's eyes widened, before they narrowed.

"Then I think it's time to go," he said.

…

Brunei still couldn't believe everything that was going on. Gods were real. Or rather, _other_ gods were real. That would explain why India would have this indulgent look on his face whenever the subject was brought up and, if Brunei was the one that brought it up in his presence, why he would pat him on the head, as though he was a child that said something adorable.

And that raised some questions. Brunei glanced towards Malaysia, who seemed to be taking all of this in stride. He wasn't really too surprised about everything, and he didn't seem bothered by that fact.

"Um, hey, Akmal?" Brunei asked. "Can I ask you something?"

"Hm," Malaysia said, focusing on the door they were approaching.

"Are you really a Muslim?"

Malaysia glanced towards him, eyebrow arched, before he sighed.

"You'll find that very few of us are actually religious," he said. "Even though our _countries_ have an official religion, we _ourselves_ are not religious. We know of the existence of gods, but we don't worship them. Unless you actually manage to make a connection with them… what's the point of worshipping a being that treats you like a worm?"

Brunei flinched, and he took a moment to sort out his thoughts and feelings. He himself was a Sunni Muslim, and he had argued with a few of the other nations on the subject a few times. And he realised something. Malaysia would usually keep quiet. As though he had nothing to contribute.

His thoughts were interrupted by a familiar voice, and his attention snapped towards an intersection in the hallway.

"This just keeps getting more awesome!"

Lithuania gasped, and he quickly ran to the smirking albino. Brunei, meanwhile, had his attention focused on the one next to him. Was that… an _elephant_?

"Gil!" Lithuania exclaimed, wrapping Prussia in a hug. "Are you alright?"

Prussia sighed, hugging Lithuania back, before placing a kiss on the side of his head.

"I'm fine," Prussia whispered. "Sorry I made you worry."

"Hello Ganesha," Israel greeted the elephant-headed male next to Prussia.

Ganesha ignored Israel and turned to Prussia.

"It seems your allies are here," he said. "Now we just need to find Raj."

Their mission was far from over.

…

Mie had gone to a shrine, partially to pray, and partially to get away from his siblings. Even though they were meant to take over from Japan, they still chose to work as regions.

It was an odd arrangement. They didn't know why there were prefectures and not regions. And now, _they_ were supposed to do the work of a nation. At least Osaka had some experience due to being Japan's former assistant.

As he was praying, he sensed a presence behind him. He turned around and his eyes widened in surprise.

 **After thinking about it for some time, I decided to go on hiatus until the end of November. I'll finish the updates for this week, so it's just HCSS tomorrow. This applies to all my stories. I just need a bit of time. And with the exception of the time I went abroad and didn't have internet yet, I've been updating every week since my very first story in 2013. So, I think I could use a break.**


	63. Chapter 62

**Thanks to AquaEclipse and zhaoyichem for reviewing.**

 **And I'm back! Seriously, it feels strange to not update for an entire month.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 62**

"That's your third cup of coffee," Yemen remarked.

Lebanon glared at him while pointedly taking a huge gulp of her coffee. The four nations that had been with the two Alvora groups had reunited in Riyadh, where the meeting would be taking place. And due to the time difference, the two females of the quartet were a bit sleep-deprived.

They'd found a coffee shop and would often give curious humans a dark look, discouraging them from interrupting.

"I don't think I've ever shared a cup of coffee with the two of you," Jordan remarked.

The two male nations looked a bit awkward at that. Politics, of course, prevented them from getting too close to the two women. Considering the current state of affairs, it wasn't a good thing.

"It's our fault," Oman said. "Forgive us."

Lebanon gave a half smirk, before yawning.

"So, how exactly are you involved?" she asked.

"I was approached by Portugal a long time ago," Oman explained. "I turned him down, but promised to keep their secret. After the last world meeting, they approached me again, informing me of Requiem. I… I grew worried, and decided to officially join them. But not _alone_."

Yemen rolled his eyes.

"If you trusted them, why did you want me to hold your hand?" he asked sarcastically.

Oman gave Yemen a light glare, and Jordan giggled lightly.

"And what do _you_ get out of this?" Lebanon asked, pointedly looking towards Yemen.

"They're putting a stop to the civil war," Yemen said. "And they're actually succeeding. For that, I'm thankful."

"What do you think this meeting's about?" Jordan asked.

"Saudi and Turkey are going to warn everyone about Requiem and Alvora," Oman said dismissively. "Now that they have more information, they can warn everyone. They're most likely going to say which nations not to trust."

"I'm guessing we should keep quiet about our involvement in all of this," Lebanon said.

"Pretty much," Yemen said. "The two of us were given the option of revealing ourselves by Portugal, but all of that depends on whether or not Palestine and/or Pakistan are there."

"Yeah, I heard they joined Requiem," Jordan said. "It's a shame. I wanted the others to know about the abuse suffered by those regions."

Oman and Yemen shared a look. Oman leaned closer and crossed his arms on the table.

"If you don't mind me asking, could you tell us a bit more about that?" he asked.

The two women shared a look, before they explained all they had seen and heard from the regions. When they were done, Oman looked pale and Yemen looked as though he was about to be sick.

"They need to be stopped," Oman said.

It was one thing for such a fate to befall humans. The nations had gotten used to the fact that humans would always do horrible things to each other. And the relatively short lifespans of humans meant that things like this rarely affected nations. It was only when it became large-scale that nations really started caring about what the humans did to each other.

But to do any of that to a being with some form of immortality was cruelty at its finest.

"Have you heard anything about the group heading to rescue India?" Yemen asked.

"They won't contact us until they've managed to escape from the enemy," Oman said. "Regardless of whether they win or lose. It's too dangerous to risk a distraction like that."

"Personally, I think they need to hurry with getting India back," Jordan said. "Israel is _not_ handling the situation well."

"There's something else that confuses me," Lebanon said. "Israel was able to instantly get us to Canada. Why couldn't they use the same technique to get to India? Or, why didn't India try to come back?"

"Ah, so you're familiar with that technique," Oman said. "I asked Romania those same questions. It's not as easy as it sounds. The first thing to know about that is that you have to bleed for it to work. From what I've heard, India was being electrocuted. No blood involved, unless it was too much and too long. And depending on whether or not they've started torturing him in ways that _would_ result in him bleeding, and how soon after the electrocution, India wouldn't have the energy to transport himself away."

The two women winced when they heard that.

"And what about Israel?" Yemen asked. "I mean, he must have thought of going to get India like that?"

"That's the second thing you need to know about that technique," Oman sighed. "It drains a lot of energy."

"Now that you mention it," Jordan said, "I think Israel was a bit disoriented after he took us to Canada."

"The most obvious danger with this is that there's no way of telling whether or not someone else is with India at the time. So, if they use an energy-draining technique with enemies around, they would just risk being captured, as they would be too tired to fight."

The others all flinched at the thought.

"It also takes more energy when transporting someone," Oman continued. "In the end, the risks outweigh the benefits. Romania also told me that using it in quick succession ran the risk of putting the user in a coma. Apparently, it's happened before."

There was a collective shudder among the group. Dying was one thing – it was usually only temporary, after all. But being in a coma… Even for a nation, there was no telling how long it would take.

The four of them grew silent as the full weight of the situation occurred to them. Israel couldn't save the one he loved in the most obvious way because the risks were too high, and the dangers were too great. It would also hurt India, should Israel end up in a situation where he was placed in danger because he was trying to save India.

"Suddenly, a meeting doesn't sound so bad," Lebanon remarked. "No matter how sleep-deprived we are."

…

Spain looked towards the clock, doing the mental calculations. Figuring that it was safe, he started to search for his former colony in his contacts. Hopefully, Bolivia would answer soon, and not complain about the time (though Spain _did_ try to make it a more acceptable time of the morning).

He listened to the phone ringing on the other side, and for some reason he had this horrible feeling of foreboding. It couldn't be that anything had happened to Bolivia, right?

"Hola, España," a familiar, unwanted voice answered, sending a chill down Spain's spine.

"Venezuela!" he exclaimed, feeling a combination of fear and rage in his heart. "Where's Bolivia? What have you done with him?"

"Demanding, aren't we? I guess nothing's changed."

Spain growled.

"Tell me what you've done to him!" he snarled.

"He's dead," Venezuela said flippantly. "Along with Uruguay, and as for Paraguay… We have _plans_ for him."

"Don't you _dare_ hurt him."

"Or what? Tell me, what are you going to do? It can't _possibly_ be worse than the things your people have done to my people. To _any_ of our people. Tell me, did you _enjoy_ building your empire, knowing that it's built on the blood of innocents? That you've killed fellow nations to achieve those goals of yours? Did you enjoy kidnapping children, all under the pretence or raising them as your own, while treating them like _trinkets_? Tell me, what are you going to do?!"

Spain swallowed nervously when he heard all of that.

"I was just following orders," Spain said. "You understand what it's like. How can you fault me for it?"

"Because you had a choice!" Venezuela snapped. "And you chose power. And what happened to all that power? From one of the greatest empires to one of the poorest Europeans. And what happened to your former colonies? Name _one_ that isn't dealing with war, or corruption, or crime, or…"

"You've been independent long enough for your current situation to not be my fault," Spain said firmly.

"Oh really? We were doing _fine_ without you. You killed our parents."

"They would have died anyway," Spain snapped. "If you're looking for someone to blame regarding the former nations of your lands, then blame yourselves."

"Excuse me?!"

"Nations go through many hardships. Many changes. But we survive. Unless a child is born during the time of change. That is the first indicator that a nation isn't destined to survive the new era. You remember your parents. That means that you were born _before_ they died. Which means that they were not meant to survive."

There was silence on the other end of the line, and Spain wondered if Venezuela had hung up.

"You're lying," Venezuela eventually said. "You're lying!"

"I'm not," Spain said. "A nation can tell the difference between a region and a nation. And they can tell how much land the new nation would possess. Your mother knew her fate the moment you were born."

Having said that, Spain was reminded of his own mother. How she had sacrificed everything to ensure that he and Portugal didn't end up Roman territory, only to fail. Her last words to them were an apology for failing them.

"You're lying," Venezuela continued to say.

"Do you think that you're the only one that had to watch his mother be killed?!" Spain snapped. "Newsflash, since you seem ignorant of the truth: History is more than what happened in the last five hundred years. Do you honestly think that _I_ didn't suffer at the hands of an empire too? And for the record, I treated you _far_ better than Rome treated me! In fact, I think the only ones Rome was actually nice to were his grandsons!"

Venezuela was silent on the other end, before he chuckled.

"Is that why you tore them apart?" Venezuela asked. "Jealousy and rage?"

Spain wasn't about to fall for the trap. Instead, he decided to pursue another route.

"You can consider yourselves lucky that you have a reason to care for your former parents," Spain said. "Brazil wasn't."

"…What?" Venezuela asked, his anger slightly lowered.

"Brazil was almost killed by the tribe he should have considered his father. If Portugal didn't save him, Brazil would have died. It's happened many times before."

Spain hadn't done it himself, but he'd heard of cases where nations realised that they had a replacement. And instead of allowing that to happen, they decided to kill the ones destined to replace them. There were nations that killed their own children.

Of course, one could not fight fate, and those nations didn't survive long after the changing times that their descendants marked. The children died for nothing.

"…Speaking of which," Venezuela suddenly said, "have you ever wondered what happened to your regions?"

Spain froze. He'd heard of Requiem performing experiments on the regions, but… surely, they hadn't gone after _his_ , right? But then… if they hadn't gone after them, why did they disappear?

Venezuela chuckled on the other side.

"They gave us a lot of insights regarding the nature of nations," Venezuela explained. "For example, a nation _can_ commit suicide, though the process is tricky. It involves _consciously_ creating a replacement, transferring your memories to them. Madrid did that. And interesting fact, we _still_ don't know where to find the new Madrid. He was born somewhere in the capital, with all the knowledge of his predecessor. And the only reason we know this is because Madrid himself _told_ us. And then he broke free from his restraints, grabbed a nearby scalpel and slit his own throat. He wanted us to know that we didn't completely succeed."

Spain grew sick when he heard that, and now he had something else to worry about: He had a younger sibling somewhere with knowledge of Requiem, and what they were capable of. The child hadn't approached Spain, so where _was_ he? Was he all alone somewhere?

"Galicia helped us see the effects of a lobotomy," Venezuela continued. "Specifically, what happens if a nation _heals_ from a lobotomy."

"That's enough," Spain snapped. "Are you doing this to hurt me?"

"Yes," Venezuela said bluntly. "And the best part is, it's all true."

"Where are they?"

"And why should I tell you? But, if you must know… Most of them are six feet under."

Spain felt as though he was punched in the gut. Most of his regions… then, the ones that were alive…?

"How many?" Spain asked. "Answer me."

"Nope, sorry," Venezuela said.

Before Spain could make another demand, the call was ended. He gritted his teeth as he heard the dial tone, trying hard not to crush the phone in his hand.

But he managed to learn a few important things. First, Bolivia, Uruguay and Paraguay were no longer available. They might have been able to attempt to rescue Paraguay, but knowing Requiem, it would be beyond impossible. Plans for him…

Spain didn't want to know what those plans entailed.

Second, he still had regions out there, though apparently some of them were dead. Spain didn't know how much he could believe Venezuela's words. And there was another version of Madrid somewhere in the city.

Spain closed his eyes, trying to access the connection he had with his regions. A connection that had faded a long time ago, because of a cruel group of nations. He had almost forgotten what it was like to use that connection, but eventually, he could feel a vague response. Like a tiny candle burning in a dark cave.

That was it! The new Madrid was there! Venezuela didn't lie about that part.

But what purpose did Venezuela have for sharing that information with him in the first place? He could understand the part with taunting him about his regions, but informing him that the capital was alive, or rather, reincarnated in a way? That was fishy, and Spain didn't like it.

But there was still a region that needed his help.

And now, Spain was faced with a dilemma. He knew that he needed to get Madrid before Requiem did, and then he needed to find a way to locate his other regions, if any of them were in fact still alive. But he couldn't go behind any of the others' backs again. They were still angry at him for passing Andorra off to Portugal and the others. And he didn't think that any of them would be willing to go look for a region that might or might not even exist.

Well, France might.

France only met Picardy a few years ago, and he _was_ curious to know if any of his other regions were alive. He had been searching discreetly, even asking Picardy if he knew about any of their whereabouts, but without success. The only ones he'd confided in regarding his search were Prussia and Spain.

So, with that in mind, France might be eager to help Spain locate a missing region, especially since they actually knew where he was. But there was still one thing that worried Spain.

What if this was a trap? Venezuela didn't mention Madrid out of the kindness of his heart, and there was a chance that this was simply a way to get to Spain. And if Spain dragged France into it…

His brother's words echoed in his mind. Requiem _knew_ how he felt about France, and was planning to use him to hurt Spain. He couldn't allow that to happen, under any circumstances. But he couldn't do it alone.

…

Argentina jumped when she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket, and she quickly pulled it out. The others all glanced towards her, before turning their attentions to the door. They knew that Nepal and South Korea were engaging one of the Hindu gods, but… Actually, 'engaging' wasn't the correct term. They could hear that the god was _not_ being merciful, but there was nothing that they could do. Nations simply didn't stand a chance against gods.

She quickly pulled out her phone, arching an eyebrow when she noticed that it was Venezuela calling her.

"Is this important?" she asked. "We're kind of being raided by Alvora, accompanied by deities they have on their side."

"What?" Venezuela asked. "How…? Never mind. I can find out the details later. I called to inform you that we might have an opportunity."

"And that would be?"

"Spain knows about Madrid."

She frowned, leaning forwards slightly.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"He called Bolivia, but Bolivia is currently being digested," Venezuela said nonchalantly. "We… got in some verbal battles, when I mentioned his former regions. I told him about what happened to Madrid, and now… You know that he won't leave things like that."

She smirked.

"He'll go and find him," she said. "But why's that an opportunity?"

"Because we know where he's going," Venezuela said. "We can set up an ambush. And, depending on who's going with him…"

"More than one. I'll tell the others, you can tell Romano."

"Of course. Good luck with the raid."

Argentina grimaced as she hung up the phone, before she turned her attention to Peru and Mexico.

"I've got some good news for you," she said.

…

Egypt and Anubis were keeping an eye on Greenland and Faroe, who were busy monitoring the base. They could see the gods doing battle – and Sekhmet and Set appeared to be enjoying this a little _too_ much – as well as the Alvora nations. Egypt narrowed his eyes when he saw that Prussia was reunited with them, but took note of the person who was happiest to see him. So, Prussia and Lithuania?

"Oh boy," Greenland suddenly said, yanking Egypt's attention back to her.

"What's wrong?" he asked. "Is there a problem?"

"Too soon to tell," Faroe said. "Take a look."

Egypt walked closer, examining the screen they were indicating. There was movement where there hadn't been before, and it took Egypt a while to realise what was going on.

"Algeria is awake," he said.


	64. Chapter 63

**Thanks to AquaEclipse and Eternal Nexus Warrior for reviewing.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 63**

India was still breathing heavily, trying to tune out the pain. He was covered in sweat, and his vision was foggy. The blood from the spikes that were impaled in his legs had stilled at least, but there was the knowledge that if any of them were moved, the blood would start flowing even stronger than before. If anything, it would result in a temporary death. And at the moment, it didn't seem like such a bad idea.

And then there was the thing with Egypt. He had no idea what Egypt did to him, but it didn't seem as though it was causing more damage to him. There was a weight that seemed to be resting in his chest, but other than that discomfort, nothing else was happening. It was confusing. The fact that he didn't know what Egypt was planning made it more terrifying. He kept waiting for something to happen, but there was nothing. The waiting was driving him insane.

He didn't even care about what was happening outside. He yearned for the oblivion that sleep would bring, but it eluded him. The pain actually made him feel nauseous, but he knew that he couldn't even be given the relief of settling the nausea. First of all, it was the wrong kind of nausea. Second, there was nothing in his stomach to vomit out.

He heard the door open, and he flinched. He expected for someone to come and torture him again, and closed his eyes, not wanting to see who it could be. He felt a gentle hand on his temple, and he realised that he recognised the presence. He opened his eyes, seeing a figure with blue skin.

"Raj…" the figure said. "What have they done to you?"

"Vishnu…" India gasped.

"…Hold still."

India was confused for a moment, before he felt a searing fire. He cried out in pain, and a moment later he felt a soothing warmth. He gasped as the pain faded, before the process repeated. He gritted his teeth, knowing what would come, and when it stopped for the last time, he opened his eyes and realised that all the spikes had been removed, the wounds healed as well. He flinched a bit when he felt Vishnu's hand in his hair, while the others worked on freeing him. As soon as he was free, Vishnu wrapped his arms comfortingly around him.

"You're safe now," Vishnu whispered. "Come on. I know that someone else is hoping to find you again."

India was surprised when Vishnu lifted him into his arms, and he snuggled into the comforting embrace. For the first time since he came here, he knew that he was completely safe.

…

Spain had called everyone to the living room. After a bit of debating, he decided that it would be best to discuss the situation with the others. If anything, they wouldn't be able to say that he had done something without consulting them.

"So, what did you want to talk about?" Estonia asked.

Spain took a deep breath, bowing his head.

"I called Bolivia to warn them about what's happening," Spain said. "Uruguay and Paraguay are with him. _Were_. Venezuela's the one that answered."

There was a restless stir among the others. They all understood the implications. If a member of Requiem answered when an uninvolved nation was called, and with the use of the past tense, they could all guess what had happened.

"What happened?" France asked gently. "Between you and Venezuela, I mean."

"It's… complicated," Spain said. "But… to actually speak to one of them… Portugal was right. They really have it out for me. He… He told me about how they performed experiments on my regions."

Ukraine gasped, hands flying to her mouth. Several of the others shifted nervously.

"He also told me… That it's possible for a nation to commit suicide by creating an heir," Spain said. "Madrid did that. He transferred his strength and memories to create a new version of himself, which is somewhere in the city, and then he…"

Spain couldn't finish his statement.

"How do you know that he's speaking the truth?" Russia asked. "After all, the sudden revelation is a bit suspicious, don't you think?"

"I realise that I might be a trap," Spain said. "Which is why I reached out first. Madrid is definitely in the city. He's alive. And he's out of their hands. And I didn't _realise_ that he was out there!"

"You feel bad that you didn't realise you had a sibling out there that needed you," China said, a knowing look on his face.

Spain looked towards China, hoping that he managed to convey his gratitude through his eyes.

"Even so," Russia said, "this new method sounds very suspicious. Transferring your consciousness to create another being…"

"It's one of the few times a nation _can_ create life," China sighed. "And it's completely possible."

"How do you know?" Hong Kong asked.

"Did you experiment with something like this?" Vietnam asked suspiciously.

"No," China sighed. "You see… that's how _I_ was born."

There was silence as they all processed what China said.

"What do you mean?" Laos asked.

China closed his eyes, his expression growing distant.

"The truth is, I'm not as old as you've been led to believe," China said. "I emerged a century before the Shang dynasty, in 1800 BCE. Before me, there was someone else. Another China. He was with the Xia. There… Something happened that caused him to give into despair. He couldn't handle it anymore. He'd hoped to surrender. That he could die. But unless someone killed him, or if a child nation was born in his place, that was impossible. That's when he tried to find a way to _make_ a child nation to replace him. Me. When he saw that it was a success, and after determining that I could do his job, he… he ended his own life. He never realised that I shared his memories. The thing that caused him to lose hope… It's part of my own memories as well."

Everyone was silent as they processed the information. No one knew what to say. They had grown used to China mentioning things he knew, suspecting that he had done things like those as well. Some of them _knew_ that China had done things subtly that they might not have agreed with. But to hear that he was actually the _result_ of something that Requiem had learned through experimentation confused them. And then there were the circumstances. They knew that nations suffered through many hardships, but they didn't realise that China had been _born_ from a nation losing all hope to live.

China turned his attention to Spain, and the Mediterranean nation widened his eyes. The way China looked at him…

"That region will be lost and confused, with the memories of the previous version hanging over his head," China said. "And something like this isn't done because a nation was happy. It's something that happens when a nation has surrendered everything resembling hope. That is a heavy burden on a young nation, or region, as the case may be. I also know what it's like to suffer through all of that alone. And you just found out that you had a younger sibling after getting used to the idea that they were all gone." China closed his eyes. "I lost my little brother. And the idea that something might happen to my provinces fills me with fear. I also _know_ that something's happening to Tibet, but I can't do anything to help him. So… Even though I think it might be a trap… if you want to go look for Madrid, then I'll come with you."

Spain gasped in surprise. Out of everything that China could have said, that was not what he expected it to be.

"Thank you," he whispered.

"So…" Vietnam said. "You're making a decision out of sentimentality instead of self-preservation?" She paused. "You… _are_ China, right?"

"What is _that_ supposed to mean?" China demanded.

"…I'll come too," Ukraine said.

"And me too," France said.

The others exchanged looks.

"…I'll come too," Thailand said.

Spain smiled. His intention had been to warn the others of his plan. He hadn't thought that anyone would want to help him in this crazy task.

…

The Alvora nations were still travelling with Ganesha, searching for India. Having a god on their side, especially considering their close encounter with the Greek pantheon earlier, made them feel more at ease, and it also minimised the risk of Requiem attacking them.

Ganesha suddenly stopped, and the nations turned to him in concern. Without warning, he adjusted his course, prompting the nations to follow after him.

After a few hallways, the elephant-headed god came to a stop. The nations could immediately see why, as a blue-skinned figure was carrying a prone one. Israel stepped closer, not believing his eyes.

"Raj," he whispered.

He ran up to Vishnu and India, and India wearily opened his eyes when he sensed his approach. He gave a weak smile as Vishnu put him down, still supporting him.

"Hey David," India gasped.

Israel threw his arms around India, but things didn't go as planned. The two cried out in pain as Israel jumped away, and the places where they made contact appeared burned.

"W-what just happened?" Israel asked.

"I-I don't know," India responded.

Vishnu frowned, before he placed one of his hands on India's head. His eyes widened in surprise.

"There's a curse placed on you," he said.

"What?" India asked, a note of fear in his voice.

"What did they do?" Israel demanded.

Vishnu was silent for a moment, before he narrowed his eyes.

"The two of you aren't allowed to touch," Vishnu said. "If you do, then you'll cause each other a great amount of pain."

"Not allowed to touch?" Israel repeated, his eyes widening.

"No…" India whispered, trembling slightly. "Can you undo it?"

Vishnu sighed.

"Not here," he said. "Not now. But I have to admit, the magic involved is quite sophisticated."

"Alright then," North Korea interrupted. "We've found Raj, and we found Gilbert. We need to leave before something else happens."

"Wait," India said. "Bangladesh, Myanmar and Tibet. We need to save them as well. I can't… leave them."

The others shared looks, and Ganesha frowned.

"Are you sure?" he asked. "You look as though you've been through a lot. I'd thought you'd want to get away from this place as soon as possible."

"And I don't want my friends to remain here," India said. "The things they only hinted at… I can't just…"

"I agree," Prussia said. "I've only been here a short time. I think. But if they were doing the things they did to me to any of the others… It's not a fate I would wish on anyone."

Lithuania pursed his lips.

"We've seen some of the results last time," Lithuania said. "Uganda was lobotomised, DRC still seems confused, Tunisia's utterly traumatised… I agree that we need to get them out as soon as possible."

The two gods shared a look, obviously not liking the idea.

"…I can see their point," Malaysia sighed. "And besides, getting Requiem's prisoners away from them _could_ cause a lot of damage. We get to rescue nations while dealing a blow to our enemies."

"The problem lies in the gods they've gathered here," Vishnu said.

"I can always call Will," North sighed. "Ask him if the Celtic pantheon would be willing to help."

"You're really going to do this?" Ganesha asked, looking around. He sighed when he realised that the nations were intent on helping the others. "We'll see if we can arrange with some of the others to help as well."

Haiti's shoulders slumped. He was thinking of his own deities that came to help, and while they liked him, they weren't in the habit of doing big favours for nothing. And fighting other deities was certainly a big favour.

…

Many of the African nations had taken advantage of the fact that they were allowed to go outside. Some of them were sunbathing, others were swimming. Ecuador and Angola were keeping an eye on them, mostly in case Requiem attacked.

Which was why, when there was a flash with three figures suddenly falling into the water, the joyful atmosphere died, instantly replaced by worry and suspicion. It was only when the three figures reached the surface that Ecuador and Angola visibly relaxed.

"You could have given us a bit of warning," Ecuador said. "That way, you wouldn't have scared all of us half to death! Or did you forget that we're in a war?"

The other nations were confused, but the fact that Ecuador spoke so amiably to these three made them all relax. Though, some of them couldn't help but feel as though at least one of them looked familiar.

Namibia gasped when she locked eyes with the blonde figure, standing up.

"Why do you look like a younger version of Anika?" Namibia asked.

The blonde grinned, floating in the water.

"It's because we're sisters," she said. "I'm Houtbaai."

Those that knew their South African geography immediately winced upon learning of the teen's identity. Hout Bay was located in the bombed Cape Town.

"Where were you this whole time?" Zimbabwe asked, looking at the teen with pity.

"She was with me," the other female of the trio said. "Before the meeting, Anika sent her over to me, in case something happened. Which it did. I've been playing babysitter this whole time."

"That's not very nice," Hout Bay pouted. "When did I need babysitting?"

"When you were loopy from all the pain medication and comparing me to a gladiator."

Hout Bay blushed when the other reminded her.

"And… you are?" Tanzania asked.

"Western Sahara," the girl introduced.

Many of them widened their eyes. Now that she mentioned it, they could clearly recognise her, though she was a bit different with her hair down and wet.

"And I'm Khoisan," the third introduced. "The two South Africas call me 'grandpa'."

"What?!" Namibia and Zimbabwe exclaimed.

"How…?" Namibia asked. " _Why_?"

"I'd think that would be obvious," Angola casually said. "So, what brings you here?"

"I heard there's trouble with Themba," Khoisan said.

The other nations, particularly those close to Black, all sobered when they heard the old man's words. A group of them had moved to help the other three out of the water, though Hout Bay seemed a bit reluctant to do so.

"We'll take you to Themba," Angola said, glancing at the other nations. "If you want, you can come in for a short while. We're lucky that it wasn't someone from Requiem _this_ time. But next time…"

"You don't have to tell us twice," Rwanda said. "We'll go in."

…

Botswana sighed in defeat, shaking his head. He lowered his hands, before looking apologetically between Morocco and Black.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I can't figure out what the cause for this is."

"It's alright," Black said. "Who knows? Maybe this will heal on its own?"

"And if it _doesn't_?" Morocco asked. "What are we going to do? You can't fight Requiem while you're blind."

"I'll get used to it. You'll see."

"But that would _still_ take time. I don't want you to be in a vulnerable position against _them_. I don't think my heart would be able to take it."

Botswana felt as though he was intruding. And he was also very confused. He never imagined that Black could have been in such a loving relationship, and with _Morocco_ , of all people. He'd never really seen the two of them interact before, and his mind was still trying to process it. He'd seen the two South Africas with Brazil several times, so White and Brazil didn't surprise him as much. Out of all the Alvora pairings he'd heard of, White and Brazil were most likely the least surprising of the bunch.

He also wondered if being part of a strange pairing was a requirement for Alvora. And if so, who would _he_ be with?

He was startled out of his thoughts when he heard movement, and he turned around to see Angola and Ecuador, followed by three figures. He recognised the blonde girl who frankly looked like a younger version of White, with her hair tied into a braid. But it was the old man that drew his attention.

Why did he seem familiar?

"You made it!" Morocco said, getting up to greet the new arrivals.

"What's going on?" Black asked. "Who is it?"

The old man sighed, shaking his head.

"Themba, why are you so reckless?" he asked.

Black's eyes widened when he heard the other's voice.

"Umkhulu?" he asked.

Botswana's eyes widened as well. _Grandpa_. He knew that there was only one person that Black and White addressed as such. So, this was Khoisan. He didn't look _ancient_ , but appeared to be in his late fifties. For a nation, that was a lot. It was rare for a nation to gain the physical age of forty, regardless of how long they lived.

And the fact that Khoisan was _still_ alive made him feel even more respect for the man.

"So, I hear you need my help," Khoisan said. "Could you explain what happened?"

Botswana listened idly as Black explained how he ended up this way. Botswana kept his eyes on Khoisan, who nodded every now and again, as though he was understanding something that Botswana could only guess at. Finally, the story was finished, and the old man opened his mouth to speak.

"Let me take a look," he said.

Botswana gave him room as he approached, placing his hands on Black's head. He was surprised that Black held still, and he subconsciously held his breath. Finally, Khoisan moved away, looking a bit perturbed.

"The one that did this to you was powerful, as well as very angry," he said. "Not only did he scramble your mind, he also placed a curse."

"How do we break it?" Morocco asked.

"A temporary death," Khoisan said. "Committed by the person he loves the most, and who loves _him_ the most."

Botswana's eyes widened, and he looked between Black and Morocco. Morocco seemed to have lost several shades of her skin tone, and Black swallowed nervously.

"I trust you," he said. "Do it."


	65. Chapter 64

**Thanks to AquaEclipse for reviewing.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 64**

Botswana sat on one of the kitchen chairs in a daze. He still couldn't believe what had to be done for Black to be able to see again.

He was startled when someone clapped him on the shoulder, and he turned to see Khoisan standing there, the ghost of a smile on his face.

"I see you tried to help him," he said. "Thank you. You have a strong connection to the astral realm, don't you?"

Botswana nodded his head. Khoisan chuckled.

"I have a small connection as well," he said. "But yours is stronger."

"Not that it does any good," Botswana sulked. "It's useless in a fight."

"It's useless in _direct combat_ ," Khoisan clarified. "As a defensive manoeuvre, you'd be surprised what it's capable of. Don't sell yourself short."

Botswana faintly smiled, before he turned towards the teenage girls.

"It's strange how you conveniently arrived with someone that could help," he said.

"Imane called," Hout Bay clarified. "When it comes to Themba, she doesn't take shortcuts. Or chances."

He nodded his head, before turning towards the other girl.

"Sorry, but who are you?" he asked.

"Western Sahara," she introduced. "You?"

"Botswana."

"Oh, then in that case, call me Salma," Western Sahara said, smiling. "I heard you joined our club."

Botswana was a bit surprised that she would already know about that. He turned to Khoisan, who was examining the room with faint curiosity.

"I need to have a word with Anika later," he said, though his tone was wistful. "It seems she decided to go back to our roots."

…

The Alvora nations had split into two groups, with the intent on covering more ground. One group had gone with Ganesha, the other with Vishnu.

Lithuania glanced towards the elephant-headed god. He always felt a little envious towards the nations who had a strong connection to their pantheons. He'd converted before he became a member of Alvora, and prior to that, he'd had no way to get in touch with his deities.

When they realised that gods were real, and that they had a strong connection to their nations, Prussia had been extremely guilty. He had been at least part of the reason why Lithuania had lost the chance to connect with his gods. But Lithuania didn't blame Prussia. He blamed his own weakness for submitting his will so easily.

He wondered if they were still out there. If they were just waiting for him to reach out to them. If they were angry at him.

Unfortunately, he had no idea how to reach out to them.

"So, do you use your hands or your trunk for eating?" Prussia asked.

Lithuania couldn't help but wonder how Ganesha appeared to be so patient and indulgent towards his lover. Prussia was the type of person that could either endear himself to someone or get under their skin. And somehow, it seemed as though Prussia had endeared himself to a _Hindu god_.

Honestly, Lithuania couldn't remember a time when he had been so proud of his lover.

"Does anyone else question the wisdom of Gilbert asking a deity about his eating habits?" Sierra Leone asked nervously.

"As long as he doesn't get angry, I think we should just roll with it," Malaysia sighed.

Lithuania also wondered if it was possible for Ganesha, or perhaps one of the other gods, to give him advice about contacting his own deities. He really wanted to find them.

…

France glanced towards Spain out of the corner of his eye. He was supposed to drive them to Madrid, a trip that would take a while. It would have been faster if they'd taken the train, but Spain still had other former colonies in the Americas to contact. And they couldn't afford to be overheard by humans. At the moment, Spain was on the phone with El Salvador, trying to convince the other nation to come to France's house. Since El Salvador could be quite stubborn, with the tendency to do the _opposite_ of what someone wanted him to do when he wasn't in the mood, it required a bit of finesse.

He felt guilty that he was _surprised_ that Spain seemed to have the finesse to handle this.

Spain often came across as a bit silly and oblivious, but he had still been an empire once upon a time. A powerful, influential empire. People tended to forget that. They only saw what Spain wanted them to see. France himself had to constantly remind himself that Spain wasn't the idiot that everyone thought him to be.

He wondered what Requiem's thoughts about him were. He knew that they hated him, but what exactly about him did they hate? And did they recognise the fact that Spain was a force to be reckoned with when it came to that?

France knew that he also needed to tap into his old imperial side. The news that Requiem intended to use him to hurt Spain…

France couldn't allow that.

…

India was still in Vishnu's arms, feeling guilty but thankful. He was still too weak to take more than a few steps at a time, and the urge to fall asleep was strong as well. And if not for the fact that he requested that the others were rescued, they'd be gone already.

He was just glad that some of the others agreed that they needed to get the prisoners out.

He looked towards the others, who were fanned out and investigating the doors they passed. They were empty of humanoid figures, and when he asked about the facility, they told him that it was huge. Which brought more horrors into the forefront of his mind.

How many prisoners did Requiem intend to keep there? And how many _had_ they kept there? And what did they do to them?

The others didn't say what they saw inside the rooms that they were investigating, but occasionally there would be a room that seemed to disturb them. India could tell by their body language. By the way they would sometimes linger near a room, or the way their shoulders would tense, India could guess the nature of those rooms.

Israel was the only one currently sticking close to India. It bothered both of them that they were unable to touch. Israel also seemed to be a bit worried about India requesting that they try to rescue the others, when it was clear that India needed proper medical attention as soon as possible.

"This one's locked," Haiti suddenly announced.

All eyes were on the door that Haiti stood in front of. Vishnu sighed, approaching the door and using a free hand to open it. For the first time, India could properly see what was inside a room, and his eyes widened in shock.

"Kalyan…" he whispered.

Bangladesh was sitting with his back propped against the wall, his hands over his eyes. India could immediately see the red on Bangladesh's fingers, and he wondered what could have caused his friend to get blood on his hands.

There was also a flickering light, and India could hear this annoying sound.

"Shit," Serbia said, stepping closer. "They're making him lose his sanity."

Vishnu waved a hand, and both the light and the sound ceased. North Korea, Serbia and Haiti rushed closer towards the prone nation. He didn't seem to notice them, at least until North touched his arm. That caused Bangladesh to back away, letting out a startled scream. That was when India saw the side of his head, and he swallowed down the bile when he realised that the blood on Bangladesh's fingers was from when he ruptured his ears.

"It's okay…" North said, holding out his hand placatingly. "We're here to save you."

India kept his eyes on Bangladesh, and ice entered his veins when he realised that Bangladesh didn't seem to recognise them at all.

Bangladesh had been in this place as long as India. What had they done to him? And if Bangladesh was like this… what about the prisoners that had been there longer?

"Let me try to reason with him," India said, looking up at Vishnu.

The god looked conflicted, his eyes flitting between India and Bangladesh. Finally he sighed, walking closer. Israel was acting as Vishnu's shadow, and India couldn't help the small smile when he realised that his lover was trying to protect him. But the warmth was extinguished soon enough when he recalled that it was because he had already been placed in danger. And they were still in the process of rescuing him.

Again, he felt incredibly guilty, but he needed to save his friends.

When they were close enough, Vishnu stopped and let him down. Bangladesh was gazing around between them, fear in his amber eyes. India took a few steps, before he collapsed to his knees. Israel immediately tried to help him up, only to pull back when the contact burned him. India winced as well, before he focused his gaze on Bangladesh.

"Kalyan," he said slowly.

Bangladesh's eyes lit up in recognition. India waited for a few seconds, trying to determine what the other was going to do.

"R-Raj…" Bangladesh croaked. "H-help…"

India reached out his hand, and Bangladesh accepted it. North helped India stand, who in turn helped Bangladesh stand. The other nation looked around at the others, before focusing on India. He smiled in encouragement.

"Come," he said, making sure that Bangladesh could read his lips.

Bangladesh was still wary, but he nodded his head. India tried to walk a few steps again, before a stab of pain in his right leg forced him to halt. Not only was he weak, but his legs had been injured.

"Come on," Vishnu said, picking him up again.

He felt horrible for inconveniencing everyone like this, but he decided to focus that negativity on Requiem. He still needed to make them pay for everything they've done to him and the others.

…

"Shit," Greenland said, scanning the screens.

Egypt and Anubis had left a while ago, so it was only her and Faroe Islands now. She saw that the Alvora nations weren't leaving, despite having found Prussia and India. That was why they were there, after all. So, why weren't they leaving?!

She had gone back to some of screens where the cameras had caught them, and turned up the volume. Her eyes widened when she realised that they were intending to rescue _all_ of the prisoners, and when she saw that they had succeeded in gaining one, that was when the expletive had escaped her lips.

"We'll need to warn the others," Faroe said.

"I know," she said. "We need to gather as many prisoners as we can and evacuate. The Africans should be our priority. I am _not_ having all that hard work go to waste."

Greenland pushed her chair towards the intercom, which she used to connect to the common room.

"Alvora is intending to rescue _all_ of the prisoners," she announced. "We cannot let that happen. But with the gods fighting, it's too dangerous for us to fight back. We need to evacuate. Split into groups, and keep your communicators on. Faroe and I will direct the safest routes. Your priorities are Nigeria and Sudan. Bangladesh has already been extracted by Alvora, along with Prussia and India."

"Shit!" Faroe exclaimed. "Are those _Celts_?!"

Her head whipped to the screen, and she groaned in frustration.

"And another pantheon has joined Alvora," she muttered. "For all of our safeties, escape is the best option."

She knew the Celtic deities that just arrived weren't from Ireland. No one was able to contact him, so he couldn't have sent help. And considering Wales was also a member of Alvora…

She turned off the intercom and pushed back to the screens, getting her headset ready, with Faroe doing the same.

"Do you think we should tell Egypt?" he asked.

"We should definitely," she said. "Algeria hasn't been put to the test yet, and it's risky sending her against enemies at this point."

"…And what about Nepal and South Korea?"

She glanced towards the screen that showed the two nations being 'interrogated' by one of the Hindu gods. What made this situation worse was the fact that it was right outside the room where the others were.

"…Right," she muttered. "Didn't think about it."

She quickly connected to Egypt's communicator.

"Egypt, could we have one of your gods help out Nepal and South Korea?" she requested.

…

When Canada woke up, he was surprised to find that Serbia wasn't there. The other side of the bed was cold, as though Serbia hadn't been there for a while.

But there was a note lying on Serbia's pillow.

Feeling a sense of trepidation, he picked up the note. Serbia had gone to rescue India and Prussia. He threw his head back and sighed.

"Why couldn't you wake me up to tell me?" he groaned.

…

Algeria was a bit disoriented. Her vision was swimming a bit, and she was afraid. She was all alone, with a strange sound in her ears. She tried to put her thoughts in order, but they were jumbled and confused. And why did she feel as though she'd been asleep for a long time?

She also realised that she was hungry. She was craving meat, but a certain type of meat. It took her a while to recognise the meat that she was craving, and a memory flashed through her mind.

She smirked as she recalled the fear on Tunisia's face. He was delicious. Perhaps she should visit her brother again. And her sister…

She scowled as she thought about Morocco. The traitor. The filthy liar who worked with the enemy.

Algeria had no idea how long she stayed there, but then suddenly the door opened, and she tensed, ready for an attack. But when she saw who entered, her tension melted away and an easy smile crossed her face.

"Egypt!" she said happily.

Egypt smiled when he saw her as well. She ignored the figure behind Egypt and tried to bound to him, but her legs were a bit shaky, and so she had to lean on the bed.

It was only when she actually paid close attention that she noticed that the bed looked like a hospital bed.

"How are you feeling?" Egypt asked.

"A bit dizzy," she admitted. "Must be because I'm hungry."

"I understand. You've been asleep for a few days."

"What?! Why…? How?!"

"Alvora."

Upon hearing that word, her face twisted in distaste. It would figure that Requiem's enemies would be responsible for the state she found herself in.

"What happened?" she asked.

"They attacked a few days ago," Egypt explained. "And they're attacking _now_. I came to make sure that you were alright. You can't imagine how relieved I am to see you're awake."

She nodded her head.

"I'd like to make them pay for what they've done to me," Algeria said. "Especially Morocco."

Egypt cocked his head to the side, pursing his lips.

"Unfortunately, it doesn't seem as though that's an option," he said. "We were told to evacuate."

Algeria scowled when she heard that. She needed to make Morocco pay, and now she was told that she had to _wait_?!

"If it makes you feel better," Egypt said, "Morocco isn't one of the attacking nations. You wouldn't be able to punish her even if we were allowed to engage them."

Algeria pouted, but accepted the explanation. She didn't know why they had to evacuate, but she realised that it wouldn't be required unless absolutely necessary. Requiem was strong, and no one was equal to them. So even if Alvora had a temporary advantage, they would strike back with double the brutality.

…

"So, you're saying they decided to evacuate," Italy repeated.

Seborga had teleported to Vatican's house, which was currently the headquarters of Requiem. At the moment, all of the Italian siblings were gathered: Italy, Seborga, Romano, Malta, Vatican and San Marino.

"Some of our more vicious members are there," Romano said. "I can't imagine that they would just tuck tail and run."

"It's tricky with three different pantheons attacking," Seborga said. "Especially considering we only have _two_ on our side."

"What about the Aztecs?" Malta suggested. "Mexico can contact them, can't she?"

"The only problem is, she needs a sacrifice to call for their help," Romano explained. "So, unless she decides to turn on one of our allies, use one of the prisoners we worked so hard to get, or get her hands on an Alvora nation wandering alone, it's going to be impossible."

"And unfortunately, the group is split in two, each with a god protecting them," Seborga said. "Why couldn't they just have come for India and Prussia and left? Why did they decide to get the other prisoners out as well?"

" _Please_ tell me that all of this isn't a wasted effort," Italy implored.

"Well, I think we should give Egypt a huge reward when this is over. He scrambled Prussia's mind while he was in Room 241, and he placed a curse on India. He didn't say what this curse was, but he assured us that it was almost impossible to break, and for best effects, we should keep both India and Israel alive."

"Hmmm…" Romano hummed in thought. "That sounds promising. But we've still got that little matter of Alvora to deal with. They're proving to be _very_ annoying."

"Why don't we leave Alvora alone for now?" San Marino suggested. "Focus on other targets? At the very least, we'll be gaining strength to better challenge Alvora."

Italy sighed.

"You may have a point," he said. "Hopefully, we're as troublesome for them as they are for us."

"At least Venezuela brought some good news," Romano said. "He told Spain about Madrid. And knowing that idiot…"

"He'll want to try to find him," Italy said, his eyes lighting up. "And Spain also comes with a few added bonuses."

"A large number of our allies want to see him suffer, and he's the brother of the enemy's leader."

 **Khoisan's comment about going back to their roots is a reference to the San creation myth, which says that humans used to live underground.**


	66. Chapter 65

**Thanks to Scarllett83 for reviewing.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 65**

Few things could frighten Nepal. Having the Hindu god of creation angry at him was one of those things.

Nepal and South Korea were pinned against the wall, hovering about two feet in the air. Brahma was holding them up with his magic, and whenever he heard something that he didn't want to hear, a burst of pain would strike both Asian nations.

"Do not test my patience, mortals," Brahma said icily. "What _exactly_ did you do with Raj?"

"I _told_ you," Nepal begged. "I don't _know_ what Egypt has done with him!"

There was another burst of pain, and both nations cried out. This one was worse than the last few.

"You know _something_ ," Brahma said. "Otherwise, you wouldn't have taunted David and the others. Now, tell me _what_ was done to him."

"…Release those mortals now."

Nepal felt the overwhelming urge to cry in relief. He recognised the Egyptian deity that came to interrupt. Ra. Egypt must have finally gotten through to him.

"This does not concern you," Brahma spat.

"Unfortunately, it _does_ ," Ra said.

Ra moved fast – faster than Nepal could comprehend. But suddenly, the two deities were fighting, and Nepal and South were dropped on the ground. Nepal winced as the sudden motion caused his ankle to twist sideways, but at least he wasn't being tortured by a god anymore. They watched for a while as the two gods battled, with Ra gradually pushing Brahma back until they disappeared down another hallway. Nepal sighed in relief, realising that Ra was giving them a chance to escape.

He nearly jumped when the nearby door opened, and the other nations of Requiem came pouring out. Nepal narrowed his eyes.

"A little _help_ would have been nice!" he snapped.

"Do you think any of us would be stupid enough to challenge a god?" Mexico scoffed. "It's your fault, by the way. If you would've ignored North Korea, and if you didn't feel the urge to taunt them about India, then you wouldn't have ended up in that mess."

Nepal ground his teeth, and he could see that South looked equally upset.

"You've got your communicator on you, right?" Argentina asked.

"Of course," Nepal said. "Why?"

"We're evacuating," Libya explained. "We need to get the prisoners and head to the hangar. Green and Faroe are going to guide the way."

" _Now_?" South asked.

"Yes," Somalia said firmly.

Somalia and Eritrea had arrived at the Washroom a bit before all of this began. They were supposed to be there for extra security, but it was a wasted effort now.

"That's going to be a bit tricky," Nepal said. "When Brahma dropped me, I twisted my ankle. It hurts."

To illustrate his point, he pulled up the leg of his trousers, showing them his ankle. He winced when he realised that it had already started swelling pretty badly.

"Why didn't you say something sooner?" South asked, eyes widening.

"I was a bit distracted," Nepal said. "And besides, _everything_ hurts."

"Good point."

"Fine," Mexico sighed. "You two, get to the hangar, and start treating his leg. The rest of us will get the prisoners and meet you there."

The two nodded, and Nepal was surprised when South turned his back to him.

"Get on," he said. "You need to get off that leg."

Nepal smiled softly at his lover's consideration. As the others left, Nepal climbed on South's back, and he hoped the other could feel his heartbeat. He hoped he realised how much he loved South Korea.

…

They knew they were pressed for time, so they were mostly relying on Ganesha to tell them if he could sense a nation behind one of the doors. They also needed to avoid Requiem's own gods, and having the god of overcoming obstacles on one's side was a serious advantage.

Ganesha suddenly stopped, turning to the door next to him.

"Is there someone in here?" Lithuania asked.

Ganesha nodded his head, before forcing the door open. There was a collective gasp as they saw the prone figure lying in his blood.

"Tibet!" Prussia exclaimed.

The figure stirred, slowly lifting his head. There was a resigned look on his face. Malaysia took a step closer.

"It's okay," he said. "We're not here to hurt you."

"China's worried about you," Prussia said.

"China?" Tibet repeated, pushing himself up. "Why would he be worried about me?"

"Because politics or not, you're still family," Malaysia said, stepping closer. "Do you remember what happened?"

"South Korea… torturing me. I also remember… seeing Myanmar and… Bangladesh… and India…"

"We're allies of India," Lithuania said. "We already managed to rescue him. We're trying to get more prisoners out."

Tibet swallowed thickly.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"It's a long story," Sierra Leone said. "One I would rather _not_ discuss with _them_ around."

"We'll tell you later," Malaysia said. "Do you trust us?"

Tibet looked down, before nodding his head. He was helped up by Brunei, and the group made their way out of there as fast as they could.

…

"So, remind me again why you can't ask Quetzalcoatl or the other deities to help us?" Peru prompted.

Mexico sighed in annoyance, before turning to face the South American.

"Because they might _occasionally_ come to me in my country," she explained, "but outside, I'll need a blood sacrifice. They're very fickle since the pyramids are no longer drenched in blood. I may have a decent relationship with them, but it doesn't mean that they'll come whenever I ask them."

Peru was thankfully silent for a while.

"Why don't we sacrifice one of the prisoners, or one of the Alvora nations?" he asked.

"Because we went through a lot of trouble getting some of the prisoners," Argentina explained. "And unless we can get a member of Alvora on their own – which is unlikely to happen right now – we're out of luck. It's too dangerous."

Peru pouted when he heard that, and he turned his head to the side.

"It's too bad I don't have contact with the Inca deities, huh?" he asked.

"Do you think they would have _helped_?" Argentina asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"…I'd like to think so."

"Focus, you two," Mexico scolded. "We're here."

They paused in front of a door, which Mexico opened. Inside, strapped to a chair, was Belize, who was showing the first signs of regaining consciousness.

"I actually feel a bit sorry for him," Peru said. "He's only _just_ waking up, and already, he's going to sleep again."

"Since when do _you_ feel sorry for anyone?" Argentina asked, eyebrow raised.

Mexico ignored them as she raised the pistol. It would be easier to transport the prisoners if they were all asleep.

…

Palestine and Pakistan were grouped together with Libya. Libya would have preferred to be paired up with Eritrea, but since the other two were new and didn't know the layout of the facility yet, it was Libya's responsibility to help them out.

Originally, Peru should have been the one teamed up with them, but as Mexico pointed out, Italy and Romano were still mad at Libya and Eritrea for letting Alvora slip through their fingers the previous time.

Libya was _still_ a bit annoyed at the _way_ they had gotten the better of him. Well, at least they managed to verify that Alvora wasn't above using dirty tactics.

They also needed to be in a group of three, due to the prisoner they were targeting: Nigeria. He remembered what happened with the experiment with Tunisia, and while it had been fun to see what Nigeria was capable of, it wasn't when _he_ was the one that had to deal with him. They had to temporarily kill him for all their sakes, though Greenland did seem upset that it would interfere with his programming.

He stopped the other two when they arrived at that room. He turned to them with a serious expression.

"Brace yourselves," he warned. "Part of the process involved stripping Nigeria of all sanity and… well, basically anything remotely resembling humanity."

Palestine and Pakistan shared a look, and both nodded solemnly. Libya pressed his lips into a thin line, before he unlocked the door.

Nigeria was in the centre of the room, raking his nails across his skin. His skin was painted in various shades of red, as the blood was in varying stages of drying. He looked up at their entrance and narrowed his eyes. He recognised that he had a new outlet for his insane aggression.

Libya quickly drew his pistol, right when Nigeria decided to launch himself in their direction. He managed to shoot the insane nation between the eyes, downing him. The warning to the other two had been in case he missed.

"That… was actually scary," Palestine remarked.

"I agree," Pakistan said. "What did you _do_ to him?"

"Indoctrination tends to be easier on individuals no longer able to think for themselves," Libya said, calmly making his way to Nigeria.

He didn't mention to the other two that, in the event they had declined the proposal to join them, they would have shared Nigeria's fate.

…

Somalia threw Sudan's body over his shoulder as he, Ethiopia and Eritrea left the room. Sudan was too skittish. They needed to fix that.

But that would be Greenland's problem. They were taking the prisoners to the second Washroom – constructed in case something happened to _this_ Washroom, located in the Sahara Desert. And since Greenland was the most experienced with the Washroom's mechanics, she was the one with the most responsibility.

Ironic, considering she used to be a guest at the Washroom herself.

…

"We were asked to evacuate the prisoners," Egypt explained to Algeria. "Now, there's only one left."

Algeria nodded her head in understanding. She knew that no one she wanted would be a prisoner – Egypt already explained to her that Tunisia had been taken by Alvora. Still, she couldn't help but hope that this prisoner gave her a reason to subdue him.

It was strange. She felt as though something was stirred inside her. Something was awoken deep inside. And she liked it. She didn't want to question the nature of this stirring, and something told her to leave it alone, anyway. It felt _wonderful_. And something so wonderful couldn't be wrong.

Egypt stopped her, before opening the door. Inside, she could see Myanmar, hands buried in his hair. He looked up at their entrance, and she noticed that there was blood streaming out of his mouth. She subconsciously licked her lips when she saw the blood. Myanmar yelped and tried to back up when he saw the two of them, but Egypt was fast, removing a dagger.

"Wait," Algeria said. "Can I do it?"

Egypt looked back at her, his expression calculating, before he handed the dagger to her.

"Just remember," he warned, "we only want him to be _temporarily_ dead."

Algeria nodded as she stalked closer to Myanmar, who continued to back up until he reached the wall. She felt so… _powerful_. She didn't realise it, but her movements had gained a sensual quality, and she was almost snakelike in her movements. Myanmar kept looking between her face and her hips, his expression one of fear.

Soon enough, she had him pinned down, and she straddled his waist, keeping him in place.

"You have no idea how… tempting you look," she said in a low voice.

She pressed their lips together, desperate to taste the blood. He whimpered as her tongue explored his mouth, before she pulled away, licking her lips in pleasure. She brought the dagger up to his throat, and he froze.

"I can feel your pulse through the blade," she said. "It feels so… beautiful. How do you feel, knowing that I could slit your throat at any moment?"

He didn't answer, his eyes trained on her. She cocked her head to the side, before she smirked, swiping her hand. He gasped as a deep gash appeared in his throat, and she eagerly leaned closer to lick up the blood pouring from the wound. Her stomach growled, and she took a bite, and then another, and another. Eventually, she realised that Myanmar was no longer moving, and she pulled away.

"That was… surprising," Egypt said at last. "But… good job. Now, let's get him out of here before we need to deal with Alvora."

She wiped the blood from her mouth before she stood up, allowing Egypt to pick up Myanmar. She heard a throat cleared behind her and turned to see Anubis standing there.

"Alvorans are nearby," he said. "I suggest we take another route."

Egypt nodded his head, before turning his attention to Algeria. She pouted at being denied an opportunity to mess with their enemies, but at least she had some fun. And she was still hungry.

…

"Damn," Faroe said, staring at the screen.

"You know that Mathias hates it when you use language like that," Greenland said absently. "Not that he's one to talk, to be honest."

"Just look here."

She went to the screen he indicated, and he rewound. She watched the screen with rapt fascination, her eyes widening.

"Whoa," she said.

"Do you think Algeria needs another round?" he asked.

"…No. A few tweaks, maybe, but it seems like the initial impression worked. And I think I have an idea. What do you think of Algeria and Myanmar?"

He glanced back to the screen and smirked.

"I'll admit, it looked interesting," he said. "Of course, his memories of the incident would be altered, and we'll need to increase her attraction for him."

"That's what I was hoping you'd say," she said. "I was considering playing matchmaker, anyway. Well, looks like all the groups have someone. Let's get out of here as well, and then we'll launch Lullaby."

He nodded his head, taking the three hard drives while Greenland turned off all of the screens. They weren't stupid enough to leave any information on the computers, except for the current projects. Everything was always transferred to the hard drives, and the hard drives were always backed up. Italy and Romano each had a backup, and so did Denmark, Switzerland, Egypt, and South Korea. They always made sure to have enough, in case they had to relive the programming of a specific member.

They shared a look, knowing that they were essentially going blind. They only hoped that they didn't run into Alvora or battling gods.

…

When White opened her eyes, it was to see Brazil looking down at her. He'd been looking at her with a grim expression, but soon he beamed happily.

"Good afternoon," he said. "It's almost time for lunch."

She frowned when she heard that.

"How long was I out?" she asked.

"Since yesterday afternoon," he said. "You exhausted yourself during construction."

The memories flooded her mind, and she groaned at how stupid she was.

"How's Burkina Faso handling it?" she asked.

"She feels guilty," Brazil explained. "She knows that you exhausted yourself by showing her something that she wanted to know."

White sighed, pushing herself into a seated position.

"I should probably go put her mind at ease," she said. "Anything else happen while I was out?"

"Well… Agewe, Jeng and Toris went to rescue Raj and Gilbert, along with a few of the others," Brazil said.

"They managed to find them?!" she asked, smile forming on her face. The smile fell, however, when she saw the complicated look on Brazil's face. "What's wrong? Did something happen to them?"

"No word from _them_ yet," Brazil said nervously. "The thing is… Themba tried to use his magic to find Raj, and… Well, that was at the same time Egypt decided to use magic on Raj's mind."

White widened her eyes when she heard that.

"What did that bliksem do to my brother?!" she demanded.

Brazil winced.

"Well…" he hesitated. "Apparently, he scrambled his mind a little, and… Um… Themba's been struck blind. Imane is freaking out. Agewe and Caio both took a look, and so did Sammy… By the way, he joined us now. He's officially a member of Alvora, and not just territory."

That was _some_ good news, but she didn't allow it to distract her from the situation at hand.

"And Themba?" she prompted.

"Well… Your grandpa was fetched," he said. "And he managed to figure _something_ out. Now, we just need to wait to see if it worked."

White pursed her lips.

"Where's Oupa now?" she asked.

"I think he's in the kitchen with Chané and Salma," he said.

"I need to hear from him what's going on. And then I need to make a plan to make Egypt _pay_. This isn't the first time he did something like this."

The attack on Cape Town was fresh in her mind. Out of all of Requiem's members, Egypt was most likely the one she hated the most.

…

Vishnu suddenly stopped the group. He turned to Israel, an annoyed expression on his face.

"It would seem that your enemies have fled," he said. "The only nations that remain in this place are with Ganesha."

Israel narrowed his eyes.

"They took them?" he asked. "Cowards."

At that moment, a cacophony of sound assaulted their ears. They all cried out in pain as the sounds assaulted them, pressing their hands against their ears. Only Vishnu and the currently-deaf Bangladesh were unaffected, but the god had a worried expression on his face.

"We need to get out of here _right now_!" he exclaimed.

He sent a telepathic message to Ganesha, and focused on taking the group of nations to a safer location. It was an old temple in an abandoned part of India, but it would be safe.

A moment later, Ganesha arrived with his own group, and the nations of that group suffered the same fate as the nations of Vishnu's group: they all passed out.

"Those sounds…" Ganesha said.

"I know," Vishnu said. "We can only wait to see if they're affected."

 **Finally, they're out of the Washroom. Didn't go quite the way I wanted it to. I kind of wanted one of the Alvora nations to die, but there was no way for me to fit that in… Oh well. Next time, I suppose.**


	67. Chapter 66

**Thanks to AquaEclipse for reviewing.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 66**

After what felt like an eternity of waiting, Saudi Arabia arrived, followed by Turkey. A number of nations had already gathered in the meeting room, waiting for the host to arrive, which didn't come quickly enough for their tastes. Oman shared a look with the other three, before focusing his attention to Saudi Arabia.

"Sorry for the wait," he said. "And the short notice. I just flew in from France, and…"

"What is this about?" Syria demanded.

"Well… First off, America's been confirmed dead."

Everyone looked around at the others in the room. America might not have been very popular among them, but no one wanted him to die.

"Wait a moment," Bahrain said. "Where are Egypt, Israel, Palestine and Pakistan? Shouldn't we wait for them?"

"Egypt and Israel weren't invited," Saudi said simply. "And as for the other two, I'm not sure."

"Is there a particular reason why they weren't invited?" Kuwait asked.

"Yes. You see, we had a meeting with the G20, or at least some of them. There, we learned that there are two organisations – nations that operated in secret. They call themselves Requiem and Alvora. Egypt is a member of one, and Israel is a member of the other."

There was silence for a long moment. Oman glanced around. The others were trying to absorb this information, but most of them didn't appear to believe any of it. He supposed that it would be better to watch and see.

"In what way are they operating?" Iran asked.

"They're completely independent of their governments," Turkey said. "In fact, I have a feeling that Egypt is personally responsible for the destruction of his country's mosques."

"Do you have any proof of that?" Syria asked, narrowing his eyes.

"…Not exactly. But we know for a fact that the two groups are conspiring."

"Are they together or not?" Uzbekistan asked.

"They're against each other," Afghanistan said, surprising everyone. "I've actually heard some of this before. Pakistan received a call from someone that wanted to meet up with him. I was suspicious, so I followed and eavesdropped on their conversation. He was meeting with Egypt, Peru and Palestine. They were recruiting him."

"You're _kidding_!" Turkey exclaimed. "Palestine and Pakistan joined Requiem?!"

"Out of curiosity," Iraq said, "how great a threat do they pose?"

"Requiem killed Germany, Japan, England and America," Saudi Arabia said. "We also suspect that they killed Austria."

"And the other group?"

"…They seem to be a bit more… benevolent than Requiem. But Mongolia warned us that there are a few things about them that make him nervous."

"How's Mongolia involved?" Turkmenistan asked.

"He managed to figure out what they were up to, and decided to seek out nations that he felt could help," Saudi explained.

"We also learned the hard way that setting a trap for Requiem isn't a good idea," Turkey said, looking as though something sour was resting in his mouth. "And Alvora is a bit more open, at least to Spain. Probably because his brother's Alvora's leader."

"Portugal?" Iran asked, blinking in surprise.

"P-Perhaps you should t-tell us who the m-members are," Qatar said.

Oman winced. There was a reason why Qatar rarely spoke at meetings. There was _something_ that happened in his childhood that caused him to have a permanent stutter. And with all the recent revelations, he hoped that it wasn't Requiem.

"Sounds like a good idea," Saudi said. "Which group do you want to hear about first?"

"Why not go with the lesser of two evils?" Kazakhstan suggested.

"Alvora, then," Turkey sighed. "Well, as we said, Portugal is the leader, along with every one of his ex-colonies. Turns out that while the Portuguese Empire died on the humans' side, on the nation's side, it's still very much alive."

"What that implies, we don't know," Saudi said. "Along with Brazil, in the Americas they have Colombia, Ecuador, Canada and Haiti."

"And with _us_?" Iraq demanded.

"Israel, as previously mentioned. Then they also have Morocco."

"Speaking of Morocco," Kyrgyzstan said, "why aren't the North Africans here?"

"Because, asides from the few who are with Requiem, the entire continent of Africa has been conquered by Alvora," Turkey said. "We think that it might have happened during the African Union meeting."

"The one where Cape Town was bombed?" Syria asked. "Are you saying they're responsible for that?"

"Unlikely," Saudi said, "since both of the South Africas are also part of Alvora."

"It was around the time this whole mess started, anyway," Turkey said.

"Do you think it's possible that they might have tried to set a trap for Requiem?" Oman asked.

"It's possible," Saudi said, frowning thoughtfully.

"We also had to do a bit of digging," Turkey said. "They tried to keep it hush-hush, but we managed to find interesting information. Along with Cape Town, the capitals of a few other Alvoran nations were bombed, along with Lesotho. So, they weren't lying about him being injured…"

"They just lied about the nature of his injuries," Saudi finished.

"And asides from the Lusophones, Sierra Leone is also a member on the Africans' side," Turkey finished.

"There doesn't seem to be an Oceanic nation involved with Alvora. In Asia… This one's a bit… questionable."

"What?" Iraq scoffed. "Are you going to say they have North Korea?"

"Yes."

There was silence in the room as everyone demonstrated their best expressions of shock. Oman glanced towards Yemen, Lebanon and Jordan, making sure that they looked appropriately surprised as well.

"Huh?" Iran managed at last. "North… North Korea is actually a _participant_?"

"I see what you mean regarding a few things being questionable," Bahrain commented.

"Actually…" Turkey said. "You know what, we'll get to that when we talk about Requiem."

"They also have India, Malaysia, East Timor and Indonesia on their side," Saudi said.

"East Timor is Portuguese, so that matches what you said before," Syria mused.

"I'm almost afraid of this part," Kuwait sighed. "Who are the Europeans involved?"

"Asides from Portugal," Saudi said, "they also have Wales, Romania, Poland, Finland, Lithuania, Prussia and Serbia."

"An interesting combination," United Arab Emirates mused. "Is that all?"

"It's hard to say," Turkey sighed. "For one thing, we don't know if Moldova and Kosovo are involved, considering Romania and Serbia are."

"But with the conflict between Serbia and Kosovo…"

"Check your news. It 'magically' settled itself."

"Why do you say it like that?" Turkmenistan asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Apparently, both groups know how to take complete control over their humans. Mongolia explained that it's a major difference between the two groups. All of the crap they've been through the past few centuries… Requiem _made_ it happen, and Alvora _let_ it happen."

"You're _joking_ ," Syria said disbelievingly. "You're saying that they allowed something like the World Wars to happen?"

"The one thing I'm thinking about is the Angolan Civil War," Yemen said. "Doing that to yourself…"

"That reminds me," Saudi said, focusing his attention on Yemen. "I noticed that your own civil war is dying out."

All eyes were on Yemen, who smiled sheepishly.

"I guess everyone decided that it wouldn't be a good idea to keep fighting, what with everything happening in some of the other countries," he said. "My boss is worried about the random deaths in Germany, Japan…"

"Oh yeah!" Syria exclaimed, before he focused his attention on Turkey and Saudi Arabia. "Do you know who's responsible? Specifically?"

"We don't know which nations in particular, but they're definitely Requiem," Saudi said. "Alvora just conquers. But unfortunately, we don't know many details about what happens then. The nations conquered by Alvora are prohibited from speaking about them."

"Prohibited?" Iran asked. "In what way?"

"Some sort of nation magic or something," Turkey said, waving his hand dismissively. "And now comes Requiem."

"The two Italy brothers are the leaders," Saudi Arabia said.

"Then we've got nothing to worry about," Kuwait said dismissively.

"If only," Saudi sighed. "Turns out, Requiem is made up of excellent actors. Just seeing New Zealand… They're seriously messed up."

"New Zealand?" Bahrain repeated. "What do you mean by 'messed up'?'

"That failed trap we mentioned," Turkey said. "It was for New Zealand. He's pretty strong, by the way."

"In the Americas, they have Mexico, Peru, Chile, Venezuela, Argentina and Jamaica," Saudi Arabia said. "I'm not sure about Jamaica, but the rest of those nations are cannibals."

"What?!" Afghanistan asked, horrified. "You… You can't be serious."

"Apparently, they had a bit of fun with America's corpse," Saudi Arabia said, face twisted in disgust.

"But… Peru was with Pakistan…" Afghanistan said. "And if they're still together…"

"This is a bit too unbelievable," Iran said, shaking his head.

"Don't worry," Turkey said. "We're aware."

"I think we had the same reactions," Saudi said. "In Africa, they have Egypt, Libya, Eritrea, Somalia and Ethiopia. In Asia, they have South Korea…"

"And it turns out, _South_ is the insane twin, while North was the target for his insanity. North Korea is also one of the Alvora nations that were bombed."

"They also have Nepal and Philippines. Then, among the Europeans…"

"Hold on," Emirates interrupted. "Is it really necessary for you to list _everyone_?"

"I thought that's what we decided earlier?" Syria asked.

"It just seems a bit… unnecessary."

"Trust me, it's necessary," Turkey said. "The last thing you want to do is trust the wrong nation. Like Switzerland. Apparently, _he's_ with Requiem."

"But…" Kuwait said, eyes widening. "He's supposed to be neutral! Are you saying that his neutrality is a lie?"

"Exactly," Saudi said, before he glanced towards Turkey. "And then they also have Greece among their ranks…"

"Are you kidding?" Bahrain asked. "Is this genuine, or Turkey trying to paint Greece as a villain. Again?"

"This is true," Saudi sighed. He turned to Turkey. "I told you that this would be their reactions."

Turkey huffed a bit, before focusing his attention on Bahrain.

"Believe me, I was shocked to hear this too," he said. "And he's not the only one of my former territories."

"The rest of the Europeans are Ireland, Denmark, Hungary, Bulgaria, Belarus and Slovenia. At least, those are the ones that we know of. Asides from having official members, they also have sleepers. The identities of _three_ had so far been identified: Andorra, Taiwan and Latvia."

"They're also responsible for the disappearances of regions," Turkey continued. "And they've been performing _experiments_ on them."

"What?!" Iraq demanded. "You're joking!"

"We wish it was the case," Saudi sighed. "The others managed to speak to one of the regions that escaped. One of America's states. They said that the things she described are truly horrible."

"Among the things they've experimented with are ways to permanently kill nations," Turkey said. "And we don't know how many nations' regions they've used. Some nations' regions are lucky, others are not."

"And what are we supposed to do _now_?" Emirates asked.

"While Alvora is still debatable, we definitely can't trust Requiem," Saudi said. "Everyone needs to be on their guards. Don't trust one of these nations so easily, especially a Requiem nation. If you have any reason to believe that you're being threatened, you need to seek help _immediately_."

"We mostly came to warn you of the danger," Turkey said. "But I think we're going to have to go to war soon. That's what Requiem wants."

"And Alvora?" Uzbekistan asked. "What do _they_ want?"

"They apparently want to bring an end to the rules that govern nations," Saudi Arabia said. "We don't know how they're planning to do that…"

"But we _did_ notice that the nations under their control had an increase in their GDP," Turkey remarked. "It seems that they're helping out with things like that, but we don't know what their angle is. And we don't know what they're willing to do to achieve those goals."

Oman glanced towards Yemen, who had a frown on his face. He could see that his friend wanted to comment on their words – wanted to defend the organisation that the two of them were now members of – but at that moment, Yemen glanced towards Oman, who shook his head. At the moment, there was too much distrust, and he didn't think that it would be wise to reveal their allegiance to the others. Not until they no longer had a choice. He glanced towards Lebanon and Jordan, who looked uncomfortable, but he knew that they wouldn't be able to say anything. They were bound by contract, and so they were the least threatening elements at the moment.

"You're saying that a war is inevitable?" Syria asked. "So then… why don't we attack first? We can take them down before they get us."

"There's another problem that Afghanistan raised earlier," Saudi said, glancing towards the confused Afghanistan. "Requiem's been recruiting, and we don't know if Alvora's been doing the same. And since we don't know about any new members…"

"It could be anyone," Iraq said, eyes widening. "It could be someone in this room."

"And the last thing we need is for someone to sabotage our attempts to fight against those two groups," Turkey said. "And attempting to attack them could make us targets. Mongolia said that the thing that scares him the most about Alvora is the fact that they're very loyal to each other."

"To the point that they would put each other ahead of their own countries," Saudi said. "Which makes them dangerous, should an attack fail."

"But why attack Alvora in the first place?" Oman asked. "It sounds like Requiem is established as being a threat. You yourself admitted that you're not sure about Alvora. So, perhaps we can leave them for now, and focus our attentions on Requiem?"

Saudi shrugged, silently telling him that he had a point. Afghanistan narrowed her eyes.

"What I overheard when they were recruiting Pakistan," Afghanistan said, "they were trying to hurt India and Israel on a _very_ personal, _very_ unnecessary level. People like them… I'd say that we'd be better off siding _with_ Alvora, as long as they're dealt with. And as long as we can save Pakistan from their influence."

Oman narrowed his eyes. He wondered if they could perhaps get an ally in Afghanistan.

…

Portugal was pacing in Romania's office, phone in hand. He was mulling things over, thinking about the phone call that he had received earlier.

 _Portugal was surprised to see the name on the phone's screen, and quickly moved to answer it, going to the office for privacy._

" _France?" he questioned. "This is unexpected."_

" _I think we need your help," France said._

 _Portugal frowned._

" _What do you mean?" he asked._

" _Some of us are preparing to go to Madrid," France said. "Antonio spoke to Venezuela, who told him that there is a new version of Madrid somewhere in the city, and Antonio could sense him."_

"… _He's planning on going after him, isn't he?"_

" _Oui. A few of us are going, but I'm worried that it might be a trap. I was wondering… If you care for your brother, could you ensure that someone in your group could protect him?"_

Of course Portugal cared for his brother, but he also cared for his friends. The nations that devoted their lives to his dream. He couldn't ask them to risk their lives more than they already were.

The fact that they were still waiting for news from Haiti and the others wasn't helping his nerves.

He jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder, and he turned around to see Romania standing there, looking at him with worry.

"What's on your mind?" Romania asked.

Portugal allowed Romania to lower him into the couch, and he leaned his head against his lover's shoulder.

"France called me earlier," he said. "They found out that there's a new Madrid somewhere in the city. Antonio could sense him. The problem is, the news came from Requiem. It's bound to be a trap."

"And you're worried about your brother," Romania finished.

Portugal nodded his head.

"France also asked me to send someone to help them, just in case," he said. "The problem is, with Raj and Gilbert…"

"You haven't heard from them yet, have you?" Romania asked, eyes widening in understanding.

"I'm worried that Requiem would succeed in killing one of them," he said. "Or worse. And I couldn't live with myself if that were to happen."

Romania was silent for a long moment. Finally, he opened his mouth.

"If I were in your place," he said, "I'd want to make sure that my brother is protected as well. I know that they don't trust us, so it would be best to keep out of sight. I could go myself, and I could ask Tino and Feliks to come as well. With everyone scrambling around, they've been having a hard time trying to get to someone else. We can focus on a possible threat."

"Are you sure about this?" Portugal asked.

Romania smiled, before giving him a peck on his nose. Portugal pulled back slightly, wiggling his nose at the strange sensation.

"I'm sure," he said. "He's your family, after all. I know that you would do the same for Alex. And as for Raj and the others… I could try reaching out to them. See what's going on."

"Thank you," Portugal sighed.

…

Bangladesh watched everything in confusion. He was unable to hear (there was a niggling at the back of his mind, but he wasn't sure what it meant, just that it was related to his current state of deafness), but he could see that the two gods were nervous.

Yes, he could recognise the gods for what they were, and while he was confused by their presence, he knew that there were other problems to deal with.

Everyone else was unconscious, and he didn't know what the cause could be. They were breathing, so he knew that they weren't dead. But he didn't know what was happening, or why Vishnu and Ganesha were so nervous.

He sat down, staring at India. He could vaguely recognise the rest, but he knew who India was. And he wondered why the other looked so hurt.


	68. Chapter 67

**Thanks to AquaEclipse for reviewing.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 67**

Prussia groaned, rubbing his head as he sat up. There was a shrill ringing in his ears, and he tried to remember what had happened before he went to sleep. Or was knocked out. Judging by the pain in his head, he was inclined to say that it was the latter, but it didn't feel as though there was a specific point of impact.

"Teutonic Knights?" a familiar voice asked, making Prussia freeze.

It couldn't be. He hadn't heard that voice in a long time. Not since the owner died. Slowly, he turned to face the person, eyes widening in shock.

"Knights Templar," he whispered.

He was just as he remembered him: fluffy platinum blond hair and pale blue eyes. He also still wore the clothes of the Knights Templar. Looking down at himself, Prussia noticed that he was wearing his old Teutonic Knights uniform.

What happened?

"What are you doing down there?" Knights Templar asked, holding his hand out.

Prussia hesitated for a moment, before he accepted the hand, allowing his old friend to help him to his feet.

"What's going on?" Prussia asked.

"We managed to capture the Holy Land," Templar said. "And we'll make sure that the Muslims never reclaim it again."

Prussia was confused. He couldn't remember something like this ever happening. He followed after Templar, and soon, they arrived at a camp. He looked around, seeing knights from their two orders mingling together. This wasn't too odd. This had happened quite a few times. It was only near the end when things had soured.

Gilbert was reminded of that time, and he felt guilty. He had neglected his friend, and the other male had paid the price. He and France had tried to keep the other male alive for as long as possible, but it was all in vain. He supposed that that was actually when his friendship with France started, and what helped set him on the path to join Alvora.

Templar led him to a tent, and the moment he stepped inside, he froze. Tied with his hands behind his back in the centre was…

"David…" he whispered.

Israel lifted his head, and Prussia noted that the other looked so much younger than before. No, this never happened. Something was wrong.

"The Holy Land himself," Knights Templar said. "There's a way for us to bring the Crusades to an end, forever."

Prussia swallowed nervously, before he turned to the other.

"And what would that be?" he asked.

"We make sure that he never falls into the hands of the Muslims again," Knights Templar said, drawing his sword. "We kill him."

Prussia's eyes widened when he heard what his old friend planned on doing to his current friend, and when Knights Templar moved closer to Israel, Prussia moved to stand in the way.

"Stop!" Prussia called out.

"What's wrong?" Knights Templar asked, cocking his head to the side. "Are you saying that the great warmonger can't kill one person if it means ending a war?"

Prussia took a horrified step back. This was nothing like the friend that he had known. The person who spent his free time singing and praying. The person who felt that, regardless of language or nation, music could reach the hearts of anyone.

"You're not Bernard," Prussia whispered.

Knights Templar seemed to falter at those words, before he smirked dangerously.

"You're a bloodthirsty warmonger, Prussia," Templar said. "That's the real reason why you didn't stop your brother with his own crusade, and why you helped him. The truth is, you enjoy war. Which makes me question why you're in a group like Alvora."

To be honest, Prussia had wondered that as well. He knew that his comrades strived for peace, and that his history was stained with too much blood. He _enjoyed_ combat too much. It was only after the Battle of Tannenberg that he calmed down. After he realised that he almost killed one of his future allies. An ally that was being recruited at that point in time, along with the other that would become his lover a few centuries later. He hadn't known about that, and had been chewed out by Romania for almost killing a potential new recruit.

It was at that point when it was decided that everyone would keep in contact and that everyone would know about everything that was happening to everyone.

He didn't think it was possible, but Templar's smirk seemed to grow wider.

"And that's not even getting into all the things you did to that _lover_ of yours," Templar continued. "You've been bullying him since you were born. You tried to kill his best friend. You killed _him_."

"I never did anything like that!" Prussia snapped.

"You destroyed his identity. Because, of course, you couldn't allow any pagans to remain. Ironic, considering you lost the faith that compelled you to destroy _his_ faith."

Prussia flinched at the reminder. That actually made him feel more horrible about the way things had been in the past. He knew that there was no forgiving any of that.

"Hypocrisy," Templar whispered. "That was what _he_ said, wasn't it? What made you start to doubt your faith. You've always been a hypocrite. Here you are, a member of Alvora, when it is _Requiem_ that you should thank for your existence."

Prussia flinched at those words.

"What are you talking about?" he demanded.

"You _adopted_ the name of Prussia," Templar said. "That's not who you were born as. No, what you were born as… You abandoned your true identity. But it's not gone. The Teutonic Knights didn't suffer the same fate as the Knights Templar. They evolved. Adapted. And who allowed that to happen? They are devoted to the Holy See."

Prussia's breath hitched when he realised what Templar was trying to say. Vatican. A member of Requiem. Which meant…

"You think that you managed to survive because of East Germany," Templar said. "But, that's not true. The remnants of the Teutonic Knights are keeping you alive, and you can thank Requiem for that."

Those words made Prussia freeze. He was aware of the Teutonic Knights still being around, though nothing compared to their former glory. He'd disconnected from them a long time ago, around the same time he became Prussia. When he realised that he had a connection to a country, he took the opportunity. But that connection was Alvora's doing.

Unable to listen to this any longer, Prussia turned away, trying to see the other occupant of the tent. Israel had been very quiet. Except, when he turned around, it wasn't Israel staring at him.

It was Lithuania.

"You've been living a lie all this time," Knights Templar said. "It's time to set you free. And to do that, you need to kill him."

Prussia gasped at those words, and he trembled as Templar placed the sword in his hand. He refused to hurt his love – he'd done that enough times in the past. Instead, he rounded on Knights Templar, who disappeared.

He turned back to Lithuania, who was calmly looking at him. He realised too late that the scenery was growing dark.

"This is a dream," Prussia muttered. "Some sort of fucked up dream."

That had to be it. He remembered being in Requiem's brainwashing facility. They must have done something to his mind.

He tried to think of everything that he had learned about mental attacks, and only one solution came to mind. He closed his eyes and focused his mind on the small piece of hypnosis instilled a long time ago, in case something went wrong and they needed a bit of help.

"What the hell?!"

It was his own voice that he heard, and he opened his eyes to see a scene from long ago. His hypnosis to help him in bad times.

The day he met Portugal.

After Knights Templar's death, he'd gone to the different strongholds of his friend, paying a last tribute. It was on one such time when he felt a hand on his shoulder, and he'd whipped around to yell at the person that invaded his privacy.

Portugal raised his hands in a placating gesture.

"Calm down," he said, a soothing smile on his face. "I was just curious to know who was in my land."

Prussia's past self – still the Teutonic Knights – blinked as he absorbed the information. He hadn't gone for his sword, choosing to raise his fist instead. But the fist was lowered now after realising who it was he was speaking to.

"Oh," Teutonic Knights said. "You're the nation?"

Portugal nodded.

"My name's Portugal," he introduced. "You're… The Teutonic Knights?"

Teutonic Knights nodded his head. It was easy to tell, seeing as he had his cloak on.

"Ja, that's me," he said.

Portugal looked beyond him to the stronghold.

"Doesn't that building belong to the Knights Templar?" he asked.

Teutonic Knights clenched his fist.

"It used to," he said. "But he died. France's king decided to destroy him. Forced his knights to make all sorts of false confessions before executing them. The Knights Templar disbanded, and… he died."

Portugal's expression turned sad, and he sat down.

"I see," he said. "It's horrible, don't you think? How the whims of humans can doom a nation."

Prussia recognised what Portugal was doing. By sitting on the ground, he's showing Teutonic Knights that he wasn't a threat. He was placing himself at his mercy. As it was, his past self's body language became more relaxed at the loss of threat.

"No kidding," Teutonic Knights said. "My friend had to die because a human didn't want to pay his debts."

Portugal nodded.

"I might not agree with all of this," he said, "but if there's one thing I agree about, it's that someone shouldn't die because of such a petty reason."

"…What did you mean when you said you don't agree?" Teutonic Knights asked. "What don't you agree about?"

Portugal smiled sardonically.

"The people shouldn't have to influence the mind and heart of the nation that personifies them," he said. "We're more than just them. Just because my people are Catholic doesn't mean that _I_ have to be."

Prussia flinched at the expression on his own face. The expression one would wear when they thought they might have been facing the devil.

Prussia also belatedly realised what this encounter meant. Back then, Portugal was _very_ selective of who knew about his faith, or rather, his lack of faith. It was very dangerous to do so. He would usually have Romania around to erase the memories of those he revealed it to whenever things went south. And they went south most of the time. But Romania wasn't there that day. Portugal was placing a lot of trust in him.

And that was why this was the memory that the hypnosis used. If Portugal had been human, he would have been killed for revealing this information. He had every right to fear him, and what he would do to him, but had proceeded anyway.

Trust. That was one of Alvora's foundations.

Teutonic Knights narrowed his eyes as he regarded the Iberian nation.

"Are you saying that you're a heretic?" he asked.

There was another sardonic chuckle.

"I guess you could say that," he said. "I just don't see how following an ideology that promotes hypocrisy could be true."

Teutonic Knights' eyes widened, and he reached for his sword.

"And how exactly are we hypocrites?" he demanded.

"You preach love while looking for reasons to hate," Portugal said. "You speak of humility while looking down on those who do not follow your ideals, or do not follow your ideals exactly the way you envision them. You speak of mercy without showing it to others. You demand respect while refusing to show it." Portugal looked up. "The Romans were at first reluctant to accept Christianity, calling it a dangerous cult. And look at what happened when the Christians gained power. The Romans were proven correct. Or are you saying that it's perfectly alright to force people to abandon their identities at the tip of a sword. 'Convert or die', isn't it? But what would your reactions be if it was the other way around?"

Teutonic Knights looked ready to argue, but Prussia knew from experience that the argument died in his throat. There was some part of him that recognised that there was truth in those words, even if he didn't want to admit it at that time.

"What if your friend didn't have to die?" Portugal suddenly asked.

"What are you talking about?" Teutonic Knights demanded.

"People like us… we die all the time because of the will of petty humans. As you said, your friend died because an important human didn't want to repay his debts. But, what if we could change that? What if our lives didn't lie in the hands of those younger than our toddlers? Tell me, how sure are _you_ that you can continue living? That you wouldn't suffer the same fate as the Knights Templar? You're a religious military order as well, aren't you?"

Teutonic Knights tensed. A nerve had been struck. But instead of arousing the rage he would normally receive, Portugal made him stop and think.

"And can you honestly tell me that your conscience is alright with harming a fellow nation under the orders of a human?" Portugal asked.

Teutonic Knights flinched a bit at that. Yes, he might have been a warmonger, but some of the things he'd done made him feel uncomfortable.

"…That's a lot of thinking you've been doing, isn't it?" Teutonic Knights asked at last.

Portugal actually looked a bit amused by the response.

"Life is a game," he said. "But the rules are unfair. Humans make all the decisions, and _we_ , the nations, have to live with the fallout. We're forced to attack our friends or family because someone decided that they want something that someone else has, or because their ego was bruised, or because the people of another nation don't follow the same cult. But what if we can change those rules? What if we didn't have to destroy those closest to us?"

He fixed his gaze on Teutonic Knights, who narrowed his eyes.

"And how exactly do you plan to do _that_?" he asked.

"Not alone," Portugal admitted. "I know that I would need allies for that. And I have a few. Allies, and friends."

He stood up, casually dusting himself off.

"If you're curious, you're welcome to follow me," Portugal said. "Though, you may want to wear something else. _That_ could only cause problems."

"And _where_ am I supposed to follow you?" Teutonic Knights demanded.

"On our own pilgrimage. Perhaps you'd like to hear what the Holy Land thinks about all of this fighting over him. I'm one of the few that can go in without problems. I've also got a few friends I'd like you to meet."

"And why should I go with you?"

"It's not _should_. It's _if you want to_."

This was the point which made all the difference: Portugal had made himself vulnerable. He'd given him enough reasons to want to attack him out of religious zeal. But still, he had given him the one thing that nations rarely received: his own choice. He could have attacked Portugal that day. He could have called on all the Teutonic Knights, as well as the Catholic nations around them, and launched an invasion on Portugal. He could have forced him to convert, or be utterly destroyed. But he chose not to. And Portugal realised it. He could see that Prussia was willing to follow his own mind, his own heart, and had revealed to him the secrets of Alvora.

The following few months had been spent on the road together, accompanied by Wales and Romania. Portugal felt that it was important that he realised that different opinions didn't mark one righteous and another wicked. Actions were more important than beliefs that could not be verified until death. And though he saw them grow uncomfortable a few times, none of them lost their tempers with him.

And it was through a lot of introspection that he realised that these three were among those that suffered the most from a religion meant to show that love was more powerful than anything else.

He'd travelled to the Holy Land – Israel – many times during the Crusades. But this was the first time he'd met the nation himself. No one had seen him during those wars. He might have turned the tide. But instead, he remained in hiding.

It was only the Alvora nations that knew where to find him.

Out of all the times he'd travelled to Israel, this was the pilgrimage that had the deepest impact on him.

…

Prussia opened his eyes, breathing sharply. He felt as though he had been underwater for hours.

"One of them is awake!" a voice exclaimed.

"Do you think he's…?"

Prussia looked to the side. He recalled having Vishnu and Ganesha around, but several other gods of the Hindu pantheon were gathered there as well. All of them looking at him like a ticking timebomb.

"What happened?" he asked, wincing as he felt a headache developing.

"First, tell us where your loyalties lie," Vishnu said.

Prussia frowned at the unusual question.

"I'm loyal to Alvora," he said. "Raj is one of my allies. Now, why are you asking me something like that?"

Ganesha sighed in relief.

"It doesn't appear as though he's lying," he said. "Perhaps what they've done to him gave him some form of immunity."

"What are you talking about?" Prussia asked.

"Your enemies launched an auditory assault," Vishnu explained. "A combination of magic and science. It's designed to lock their victims in a nightmare until they can be persuaded to join them."

Prussia's eyes widened, and he looked around, seeing his unconscious allies on the ground.

"What's going to happen to them?" he asked.

"They weren't exposed for long, so they might be able to escape the influence, like you did," Vishnu said. "Nidra is trying her best. But, if they can't break free, and they choose to remain loyal to your group… They might never wake up."

 **When reading up on Knights Templar, I noticed that St Bernard was their patron saint, so I felt that it would be fitting for the personification to have the same name.**

 **And throughout this chapter, Within Temptation's 'The Truth Beneath the Rose' kept playing in my head (and I think it actually popped up on my playlist while I was writing).**


	69. Chapter 68

**Thanks to AquaEclipse for reviewing.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 68**

Romania shook his head. He'd been trying to reach out to India and the others, but it was as though there was some sort of barrier to his magic. Portugal sighed, shaking his head. It was about time to prepare to go to Madrid. Romania still needed to fetch Finland and Poland.

Just as Portugal thought it, his phone rang, startling him from his thoughts. He quickly pulled it out, seeing that it was Lithuania calling him.

"Toris?" he demanded. "What's going on there? Is everything alright?"

"Um, actually, it's Gilbert," the voice on the other side said.

"Gil?! That's good to… Wait. Why are _you_ calling? Is something wrong with the others?"

"Ja. Just before we escaped… Requiem played a brown note. It affected the whole base."

Portugal's eyes widened when he heard that. He knew about brown notes: sounds or images that could directly affect a person's mind or even their souls. Many brown notes had magical qualities, and they were all very dangerous.

"What happened?" he asked. "How's everyone?"

"Well, I've got the Hindu pantheon helping me out here," Prussia said. "I'd like to say that the reason why I'm okay now is because I'm awesome, but I think it's because Egypt magically scrambled my mind earlier. And Bangladesh is kind of deaf at the moment. Anyway, the gods are trying to figure out a way to help the others. That brown note… It's supposed to lock you in some sort of nightmare, and the only way to escape is if you swear loyalty to Requiem. But I'm too awesome to betray you like that."

Portugal looked towards Romania with worry. The other had his head cocked to the side.

"I'm with Vlad at the moment," Portugal said. "I'll put you on speaker, and I want you to tell him what you told me."

He pulled the phone away, quickly putting it on speaker. Romania moved closer, staring at the device with a perplexed look on his face.

"Vlad, are you there?" Prussia asked.

"Da, I'm here," Romania replied. "What's up? Oh, and it's good to hear that you're out of Requiem's hands."

"Danke. But we have bigger problems. Just before we left, they played a brown note designed to lock us in nightmares until we agree to join Requiem. Egypt scrambled my mind earlier, so I think that's the reason why I was able to snap out of it. And I thought about the hypnosis you gave me."

"What hypnosis?" Portugal asked.

"I'll explain later," Romania dismissed. "A brown note, you say? And how did you…?"

"The Hindu pantheon is helping him," Portugal interrupted. "Any results?"

"Nothing yet," Prussia said. "The thing was created using a combination of science and magic."

Romania winced at that. Portugal knew enough to realise that it was a particularly difficult task for them.

"Everyone has to have those little hypnotic suggestions in them," Romania said. "Tell the gods to try to bring them to the surface. Also, ask if it would be alright to involve a nation specifically trained with astral projection and the dream realm."

"That's… oddly specific," Prussia said. "Hold on for a moment."

The other two waited for a moment, while Portugal kept his eyes focused on Romania. What hypnotic suggestion was he talking about? And why didn't he know about it?

"Okay," Prussia's voice suddenly announced from the other side. "I spoke to the goddess of sleep. She said that it might help. There's a lot of interference, and considering how many nations are unconscious at the moment… Help would be appreciated."

"Alright," Romania said. "This is Botswana's forte."

"Sammy," Portugal corrected. "His human name is Sammy. We need to remember that."

"Huh?" Prussia questioned. "What's going on?"

"Botswana decided to join us," Portugal explained. "He also helped us find you. Hopefully, he's not annoyed with us by now. Vlad, could you get in touch with him? And Gilbert, in the meantime, do you think you can give us a report?"

Prussia sighed.

"I guess you'd be worried by now," Prussia said. "Well, _I'm_ alright. There was a bit of mind scramble, and I'm feeling a bit melancholic and for some reason I keep thinking about my past. That nightmare they gave me had Templar in it. He said we managed to capture the Holy Land, except it was David, and Templar said that we need to make sure that no one else got the Holy Land again, and he… well, he wanted to kill David. And he… Um…"

"You don't have to share the details of your nightmare," Portugal sighed. "It's a personal thing."

"Danke," Prussia breathed out. "Anyway, Raj is definitely in a bad state. He can barely walk. And it looks like he's cursed."

"In what way?!" Romania demanded, phone pressed against his ear. "Oh, hi Theresa. Do you think I could speak with Sammy?"

"…He doesn't have Botswana's – Sammy's – number?" Prussia asked, and Portugal could hear the incredulity in his tone.

"Apparently not," Portugal sighed. "Vlad, you need to focus on your own call. Anyway, how is Raj cursed?"

"He and David can't touch each other without getting hurt. Egypt is the one that cursed him."

Portugal sighed.

"I think we'll need to take care of Egypt," he said. "Most of the latest problems are because of him. Not to mention what he did in the beginning."

"Anyway," Prussia continued, "we managed to get Bangladesh and Tibet out, and whatever they did to Bangladesh made him destroy his own eardrums. He doesn't look like he really recognises me at the moment, but at least he recognises Raj, and he recognises the gods, so I'm waiting for him to figure out that I'm not an enemy. So, what's going on with you?"

"Francis called me," Portugal said. "By the way, he and Antonio are a couple now."

"Finally! Took them long enough!"

"Sim. But as I was saying, Francis called me. They found out that there's a new version of Madrid, and they're going off to find him."

"It's a trap."

The deadpan way in which Prussia said it made Portugal smile, despite the situation.

"I think so too," Portugal said. "Vlad volunteered to look out for him, along with Feliks and Tino."

"Good," Prussia sighed. "As long as they have some protection with them. Anything else?"

"The Middle Eastern nations have a meeting. Turkey and Saudi Arabia want to warn them about everything that's happening, and to tell them not to trust any of us. Themba's out of commission for a while. He tried to use his newly-discovered magic to find you and Raj, only to run into Egypt."

"Shit! What did the bastard do to him?"

"He's blind."

"Fuck! When I get my hands on Egypt…"

"You are not doing anything until we've ensured that you're alright," Portugal interrupted. "Isn't there a place where you want to go for a little vacation? I think after what you've been through, you and Raj could both use a rest."

"But…"

"Gil, that's an order."

It was rare for Portugal to outright say that something was an order, and it was usually used as a way to convey to the others that the matter was serious to him. Prussia was silent for a moment, before he sighed.

"I understand," Prussia said. "We're somewhere in India, if it helps. The place looks pretty deserted, and it doesn't look like a human's been year in decades, _at least_."

"Good," Portugal said. "That should keep you safe for a while. I'll see if we can send Sammy over to help you in some way. Take care, Gilbert."

"Ja, you too."

…

Half an hour after the meeting ended, Oman, Yeman, Lebanon and Jordan were having coffee together again. All of them were silent as they processed everything discussed at the meeting, most of which involved the two groups.

"Well, that went better than expected," Oman said.

"In what way?" Yemen asked. "If Alvora tries to help them in any way, they'd all be suspicious."

"They're already suspicious about your civil war seeming to resolve itself," Lebanon pointed out.

"Right," Oman agreed. "We actually managed to dodge a bullet there."

"And what are we going to do _now_?" Jordan asked.

"…I could get in touch with Portugal. See if it's okay to send you two back to your countries. Or, would you rather be in a place where it's safe? I don't think Requiem knows about you, so there's still a chance…"

"They might come pay us a visit," Lebanon sighed. "I understand. But… Do we have to go back to Canada?"

"Please no," Jordan begged. "It's _really_ cold there, and it's not even winter yet!"

"I think there's another stronghold in South Africa," Oman said, cocking his head to the side. "Pretty much the entire continent is there, and if I heard correctly, they're in the arid part of the country."

The two female nations exchanged a look, before they simultaneously nodded.

"Sounds good," she said. "So, when are you calling?"

"Coffee first," Oman replied.

…

"Oh, hell no!"

Canada watched blankly as California tried to drag Texas away from the doorframe, with New Mexico standing there with a bored expression. Quebec, Alaska and Minnesota were also watching the scene with bored expressions, while everyone else was either confused or wary.

In other words, for some, this was a fairly typical scene.

"Oh, come _on_ ," California said. "These kids had never been to a mall before. It's a crime of nature."

"Then why are you trying to get _me_ to come?" Texas demanded.

"Because, Sweetie, you could really use some new outfits."

"I am _not_ going anywhere near a mall with _you_!"

"Are you telling me that you don't mind the cold?"

"I got a few coats in Minnesota. I am _fine_!"

"Is this normal?" Åland asked, turning towards Quebec.

"Completely," Quebec deadpanned, before he turned to Canada. "You okay?"

Canada hummed as he turned to his younger brother, before he realised what was being said, and he sighed, shaking his head.

"I guess I'm a bit worried about Damjan," he admitted. "I have no idea when he left, but I think he should have been back now. I… I'm worried that…"

"Damjan's strong," Kosovo interrupted. "He's not going to fall to them."

"As much as I hate supporting Serbia," Croatia sighed, "he has a point. Don't worry about it. He's also incredibly stubborn, so I don't think that Requiem would be able to hurt him."

"But if he can find Bosnia, then it would be all the better," Herzegovina said.

Canada smiled at the reassurances, but he still couldn't help but wonder whether something was amiss. He glanced back at California and Texas, trying to distract himself, and vaguely wondering which girl was going to cave first _this_ time.

…

Namibia was on her way outside again when she heard something from one of the rooms. The language spoken was Afrikaans, so it immediately caught her attention. Peeking in, she saw that Netherlands was sitting there, TV turned to KykNET.

"What are you doing?" she asked, stepping closer.

"Trying to stay up-to-date with current affairs," Netherlands sighed. "I would have preferred to do this in Dutch, but Afrikaans is the closest. News in English annoys me."

Namibia stared at the scene for a moment, before she sighed. If memory served her…

"Could I see the remote for a moment?" she asked.

He didn't respond, but held out the remote to her. She quickly pressed the numbers 4-3-1, waiting for a moment. She turned to look at Netherlands's face, who had his eyes widened in shock and his mouth slightly open.

"We actually _have_ a Dutch channel," she said.

Netherlands closed his mouth, and she could have sworn the tips of his ears had gained a pinkish tint. He cleared his throat, nodding his head.

"Thank you," he said.

She had a small smirk on her face as she placed the remote back on the table in front of him.

"Plesier," she sang as she walked out.

She couldn't help but wonder how long Netherlands had searched for a channel on which he could watch something close to his language. And she would admit that she was impressed by the fact that they had DSTV out here.

…

"It's nice of you to come fetch us," Finland said.

"Tak," Poland added. "Like, we couldn't find anyone, and it was so _boring_."

Romania had already fetched Finland and Poland, taking them to Madrid. Obviously, the two were happy to join him even before he revealed to them why they were there.

Romania absently nodded his head, watching the compass in his hand. The compass was enchanted to seek out the thing that the user wanted, whether it was a person or a place. And seeing as they had nothing to go on when it came to the person they were seeking, this was the best course of action.

The needle stopped, and Romania turned to look at the east.

"This way," he said. "Come on. We find Madrid, we're bound to find Spain, and hopefully, we don't find Requiem."

Finding Madrid was the best way to find Spain. As the nation, he would be able to track his capital. They didn't know if Requiem had anything that could track down either Spain or Madrid, but he didn't want to take the chance. The fact that it was Portugal's family involved gave him more reason to want to help.

They didn't know as much about Requiem as they would have liked, but they knew enough to know that they wouldn't have randomly shared information so important without a plan of attack.

…

"NO!" Ladonia screamed, backing up as much as he could while on the ground, trembling slightly.

Standing in front of him was someone he thought he could trust. A fellow Nordic micronation, Christiana.

But the child who appeared only a year older than him was staring at him with a blank expression. There was a bloody knife in his hand, which corresponded to the bloody arm that Ladonia was cradling to his chest. The wound had occurred when Ladonia tried to protect himself, but he couldn't do it anymore.

His servers had been destroyed, and his physical territory – small as it might have been – was burnt to the ground. His queen had also been killed. All of that left him feeling weak, and he was unable to teleport to safety.

And Christiana had come to finish the job.

"Why are you doing this?!" Ladonia demanded. "This isn't…!"

This wasn't like Christiana. The Danish micronation was usually laid-back and a bit silly, and Ladonia had never seen him without a smile on his face. Until now.

Christiana actually looked pained for a moment, before his face became blank again.

"I'm sorry about this," Christiana said, and Ladonia almost believed him. "But it's you or me. And I don't want to die. So… I hope you'll forgive me."

Ladonia's breath hitched when Christiana raised the knife.

…

Botswana looked around him. He had been asked to help Alvora again, and when he heard what the problem was, he agreed that it was important to try to help as soon as possible, before irreparable damage was done.

He'd followed Prussia's essence, since Prussia was the one confirmed to be awake, though there was definitely something off. So now he watched as the Hindu pantheon were watching over the unconscious nations. Bangladesh was also there, and it looked as though he was resting in some way.

"Botswana?"

He was startled by the sound of his name, and he whipped around to see Prussia _looking right at him_.

"What?" Botswana breathed. "You can see me?"

"Well… You're a bit fuzzy, but ja," Prussia said.

"It's because his mind has been altered," one of the nearby goddesses said. "His eyes are open to the astral realm, but it would shut again in a few days."

"Oh," Botswana said. "Sorry, but… who are you?"

The goddess looked annoyed, but Prussia spoke first.

"This is Nidra, Hindu goddess of sleep," Prussia introduced. "She's been trying to help the others, but…"

"This is the result of a combination of science and magic," Nidra continued. "And not just one kind of magic. What one lacks, another compensates for. It's actually impressive that mortals could do something like this."

He knew about the combination of different types of magic. This would make things difficult.

"Romania mentioned that everyone has some sort of hypnotic suggestion," Botswana said, looking between Prussia and Nidra. "Maybe, if we can target those…"

"I've been trying," Nidra sighed. "Unfortunately, it's somewhere in the labyrinth of their minds, made harder by the interference. And I can unfortunately only focus on one at a time."

Botswana turned to look at the nation she was working on. India. He looked as though he was in a _really_ bad state, and he could understand why he was her priority, other than the fact that she was part of his religion. He didn't know that someone like India could look so _pale_. And the dried blood on his clothes didn't help matters.

There was someone else that looked to be in just as bad a shape as India, if not worse. Unfortunately, Botswana didn't recognise him, and turned to Prussia for clarification.

"Who's this?" he asked.

"Tibet," Prussia said. "Requiem kept him to torture him. And for his pain to extend to China."

Botswana nodded, before turning back to Tibet.

"I'll start with him, then," he said. "See if I can help."

"He doesn't have the suggestion," Prussia said. "If it _would_ make things easier, then he's going to be the hardest."

Botswana nodded to show that he understood.

"The thing is, you admitted that he was tortured," he said. "And Romania already told me what Requiem's own suggestion does. I don't know how strong his will is, but those two things combined can't be good. He's the biggest risk. And I don't know about you, but I would rather not have another member or Requiem running around."

 **DSTV is basically a TV service catering to Sub-Saharan Africa, with different countries having different channels available to them. KykNET is an Afrikaans channel, and I know we have French, Dutch, Italian, Chinese (I think the description says that it is both Mandarin and Cantonese, which is why I just use Chinese), German and Portuguese. And you know you're bored when the best thing you can find after surfing through every channel is an Italian cooking show (especially when you don't speak Italian). I've been wanting to write the scene between Netherlands and Namibia for a while now.**

 **You will not believe how difficult it is to find something regarding 'Hindu god of sleep/dreams'. So, if Nidra is wrong, I'm sorry, but this was all I could find. On that note, the Hindu mythology is _fascinating_ , and I'll see if I can get better resources to properly study their stories.**


	70. Chapter 69

**Thanks to AquaEclipse for reviewing.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 69**

Botswana stared at the scene in front of him. His mind was trying to process it, and even though he knew that it was a dream, it didn't change the fact that the scene in front of him was so unbelievable.

He was standing on a mountaintop with the only thing nearby being a monastery, and the monastery was burning. He could feel the heat crashing into him in waves, and he wasn't sure if this place or event was real or imagined. Or what the significance of what he was seeing could be.

And that was when he heard the screaming.

He jumped in surprise, and he knew that the screaming came from inside the monastery. He eyed the flames warily, before he rushed ahead, searching for an entrance. There was only one scream, and since he couldn't see Tibet, it was easy to imagine whose scream it was.

After a bit of searching, he finally found what appeared to be the main entrance. He quickly stormed inside, hissing as the heat threatened to drown him. He took a few deep breaths, reminding himself that this was just a dream, and he could feel that the flames were starting to lose their grip on him. Closing his eyes, he tried to determine in which direction to go to find Tibet, when another scream echoed through the building. Determining which direction was the one to go, he quickly ran to see if he could find the Asian male.

It took a while, but he eventually reached what looked like the central area of the monastery, and he could imagine everyone gathering there for morning prayers or something (his knowledge of Tibet was sorely lacking – he would have to remedy that later). But in the centre of the hall, hanging by chains from the ceiling, was Tibet, and Botswana wasn't sure if those were burns or bloody welts that stripped across his bare torso.

And now, the African nation knew that he had to be careful. The flames were nowhere near Tibet, but those screams were pained. That meant that there was something else there, but unless he did something to attract the attention of whatever it was, he should be fine. He was an invader in the dream, after all. Not part of the landscape. Unfortunately, he didn't know Tibet well enough to know how strong his mind was. Some people had minds that were more than capable of throwing out intruders.

" _Why do you continue to resist?"_ a voice hissed.

Actually, it didn't sound like _a_ voice. It sounded like multiple voices speaking at once, and it sounded as though it came from everywhere in the room. The African nation held his breath, waiting for what was to come.

Botswana could hear Tibet whimper, and a moment later, one of the flames lashed out, acting more like a whip than a flame. Tibet screamed in pain as the flame connected with his skin before disappearing.

So, they were burns _and_ welts.

" _Don't tell me that you think that this will end,"_ the voice(s) continued. _"Let go of your pride, and simply surrender, like the passive waste you are."_

Tibet shook his head.

"I-it's not p-pride," he stammered. "I w-will not a-agree w-with you, just b-because it's the e-easy choice. I won't…"

There was another lash. Another scream.

" _You won't put your people through any more pain?!"_ the voice sneered. _"That's not what this is about, little monk. You pretend to be spiritual. You pretend as though your people are where your first thought should go. You claim that you wish to save them from oppression, and yet, what do you do?"_

Tibet shook his head again, his body shuddering. Botswana knew that he was crying based on the sob he'd just heard.

" _The truth is, you long for the days of your empire,"_ the voice continued. _"You despise those that had made you their underling."_

The flames took shape, and Botswana recognised China and Mongolia.

" _You wish to regain your material wealth. You wish revenge on your oppressors. You want to return to glory. You are_ weak _! Weak in body, weak in mind, weak in spirit. Few are even able to recognise you. You are_ nothing _. Do you think that_ nothing _could enter Nirvana?"_

Botswana couldn't take it anymore. He now knew what he was dealing with, and the sooner he could get Tibet out of there, the better. And it might have been harsh of him to think it, but the mental beating the Asian nation was receiving actually worked to his advantage.

Deciding that he needed to act before it was too late, he stepped out from his hiding place.

"Don't listen to a single word they say!" Botswana shouted.

Tibet looked up, startled. The copies of China and Mongolia turned to him as well, anger on their faces.

"This is a dream," Botswana said. "A nightmare from Requiem. And I'll admit, I don't know a lot about you, but that's mostly because we Africans don't have a particularly large social circle outside our continent. But hey, you should hear the things the other nations say about _us_. So, don't listen to what this figment is telling you."

Tibet blinked in surprise, but before either of them could say anything, there was a roar of rage.

" _You dare interfere?!"_ the voices rumbled.

The very fact that they were interacting with him told him that they didn't come from Tibet's mind. So, perhaps, they were a manifestation of Requiem.

Botswana ran towards Tibet, and he could feel the flames lashing out at him. He kept repeating to himself that this wasn't real, and that everything was fine. He hissed in pain as a particularly harsh strike hit his back, but he didn't stop until he reached Tibet.

"I'm here on behalf of Alvora to help you," Botswana announced. "Now, I need you to do something for me."

Tibet looked at him warily, and Botswana wanted to smack himself for how that sounded.

"I need you to focus on those chains," Botswana said. "Since this is _your_ mind, I don't want to interfere more than I have to. In case it isn't clear, I'm leading you into a lucid dream. And I want you to get rid of those chains."

Tibet's eyes widened in understanding, and Botswana could also see relief. The other was relieved that he wouldn't be forced into something that he didn't want to do, or that Botswana was basically blackmailing him.

Tibet turned his gaze upward, and at the same time, there was a roar of rage. Botswana winced when he saw the flames coalesce into a draconic being.

"Keep telling yourself that this is a dream," Botswana instructed as he raised his hands.

His magic wasn't combative, that was something that he would have to make peace with. However, the rules were changed in the astral realm. He could not only enter dreams, but he could alter them to some degree. Of course, the more he did it, the more the mind protested, unless he managed to get the target's consent, which wasn't too easy either. Even if they were in agreement, it wasn't always a guarantee. Their subconscious, as well as their conscious mind, needed to accept his presence.

And of _course_ , there had to be something else influencing the unconscious mind.

Botswana summoned a wall of ice to help counteract the flames, and he glanced at Tibet. The other was frowning in concentration, and the chains were shimmering, and to Botswana's relief, the chains seemed to turn into liquid before falling away. He moved to quickly catch Tibet, glad that at least _something_ managed to be done.

But they still needed to get out of there.

"This isn't the type of dream you can just get out of," Botswana informed him. "I need you to think of your happy place. Or _something_ that makes you feel happy, calm, tranquil…"

"Nirvana?" Tibet asked.

"I'm not entirely sure what that means," Botswana said. "But, if it's a place where you feel calm… Because we _need_ to get out of this nightmare."

Tibet nodded his head, before flinching as a heavy blow landed against the ice wall, cracking their only line of defence. Botswana swore, reinforcing the wall. He hoped that, whatever it was Tibet was doing, it would be done soon. He didn't want to know what Requiem's nightmare apparition would do to him.

"No pressure," Botswana muttered, "but we need to get out of here as soon as possible."

There was the sound of shattered glass as a section of the wall was torn down. Botswana flinched as the dragon slipped through, glaring at him.

" _You shouldn't have interfered!"_ the dragon screamed in the same legion of voices as earlier. _"You don't belong here."_

"And neither do _you_ ," Botswana spat.

The dragon lunged, and he tried to raise another protective barrier, but surprisingly, he was transported to a place with a purple sky. He blinked, before turning to Tibet, who sank to the ground.

"Is this _your_ doing?" Botswana asked.

Tibet nodded his head.

"…It was sooner than I expected," Botswana admitted. "Especially with everything that was going on."

Tibet shrugged.

"I spend a lot of time meditating," he said. "I'm used to tuning out what's going on around me and getting my mind focused on a main goal."

Botswana gave a small smile.

"Looks like I might have to learn a bit more about you, then," he said. "So… What _is_ this place?"

"This is Nirvana," Tibet said, sitting down. "Or, at least, this is _my_ impression of it. When I meditate for long enough… I can sometimes reach this place. This is the most peaceful place I could think of. Though, usually, this isn't something that you should share."

"Right… If you don't mind, I'm going to try to wake you up."

Tibet frowned.

"Is that really necessary?" he asked.

"…That thing isn't going to leave you alone," Botswana explained. "The best way is to get you to wake up. And the longer you remain asleep, the harder it's going to be. That thing is designed to torture you until you join _them_."

Tibet flinched, averting his eyes.

"After what they'd done to me, I wouldn't willingly join them," Tibet whispered. "There's no way. But… I don't think I can handle any more of that torture. Those voices… I'm not sure if you could tell, but… those were the voices of the other Asian nations. And… What that thing said about my former empire…"

"Whatever it is, ignore it," Botswana said. "Empires fall. That's a fact of life."

"But… You yourself admitted to being ignorant of me. I've fallen into obscurity, and those that _do_ recognise me only see me as an extension of China."

Botswana shrugged, watching the intriguing sky.

"I'll admit, it _does_ feel awful," he said. "I'm sometimes ignored too. But the reason for that tends to be because of the nations that surround me. There was one meeting where White South Africa actually hugged me and thanked me for the lack of drama. So, yeah, obscurity can be a pain, but the times when you're remembered… Well, as long as it's for a good reason, right? You don't want to be remembered for being an embarrassment or something."

Tibet chuckled.

"I suppose not," he said. "But… I still feel… inadequate. I was captured so easily, and… It was all to hurt China. Literally. South Korea used _me_ to inflict pain on _China_."

Botswana nodded.

"Since you _are_ connected, you serve as a conduit," he said. "Half-nations as well, like Sao Tomé and Principe, for example, which helped me a lot when I had to track down one of them. And even full nations, like… Um… well, any siblings, actually."

Tibet looked at him oddly.

"How did you get here, anyway?" he asked. "If this is a dream…"

Botswana gave a smile of apology.

"Sorry about the invasion," he said. "It was necessary. Anyway, I'm here thanks to astral projection."

Tibet's eyes widened.

"Astral…?" he whispered. "You mean… You can actually enter this plane of existence?"

Botswana nodded his head.

"It's part of my natural magic," he explained. "Though, it's not really useful."

Tibet vehemently shook his head.

"Use and worth aren't the same thing," Tibet said. "Besides, if it wasn't for you… I would still be tortured by that… that _thing_. So… I guess… It's time for me to wake up, right?"

Botswana nodded his head.

"Let's see if I can manage that," he said.

…

Tibet was jolted awake, trembling slightly. He grew aware of all his injuries, and he wondered if the pain was from torture he received from South Korea and Nepal, or if injuries could be transferred from dreams.

"Tibet!"

He flinched at the voice, and a moment later, someone crouched down next to him. He recognised this person as one of his rescuers, but he didn't know who it was.

"First, tell me that you're not with Requiem," the white-haired male said.

Tibet frowned.

"Why would I be with the group that tortured me and kidnapped me?" Tibet asked.

The other sighed in relief.

"Good to know you still have sense," Prussia said.

"I'm sorry," Tibet said, and he hated how weak his voice was, "who are you?"

"I'm the awesome Prussia."

The other gave a warm smile, and Tibet could see that there was a faint trace of a joke lingering beneath the surface, but…

He jumped when he heard a sharp intake of breath, and he turned around to see who had caused it. That was when he grew aware of the fact that they weren't alone. There were figures lying unconscious on the ground, while other figures were lingering nearby, though he could tell that they weren't mortal. The one that had given the sharp intake of breath was…

"India?" Tibet questioned.

Prussia rushed over to India's side, and Tibet was alarmed to see that the other was shaking. He watched the other closely, and he saw that his clothes were soaked in blood. Combined with the tired look on India's face, and how he clung to Prussia in terror, Tibet could deduce that India had been tortured as well.

"Shh," Prussia said. "It's okay. You're safe now."

"D-David," India said. "W-where's D-David?"

Prussia pointed towards another nation, and India pulled himself away from Prussia's hold, crawling closer to the other nation. He reached out to touch him, before pulling his hand back as he cried out in pain. He turned to Prussia, his eyes full of tears.

"What's wrong with him?" he demanded.

"That sound we heard before we left Requiem's base," Prussia said. "It's designed to keep whoever hears it asleep, torturing them with a nightmare, until they surrender and join Requiem."

India's eyes widened, and Tibet shuddered in disgust.

"But…" India whispered. "I can assure you, I'm not…"

"Nidra and Botswana are working to get this out of everyone's systems," Prussia said. "Problem is, they can only work on someone one at a time."

India's eyes dimmed, and he looked down again at the nation next to him.

"If you want, I can help him next," the woman that had been seated next to India earlier sighed.

Prussia had said that Nidra and Botswana were helping. Tibet had met Botswana. Therefore, he concluded that this woman was Nidra.

"Thank you," India whispered. "Please, help him."

At that point, India looked at Tibet, and it seemed that it was only at that point that he realised that Tibet was there as well.

"Jampa…" he whispered.

Tibet swallowed nervously. India's voice was one of those he'd heard in his nightmare. He didn't know if it would be alright to be around him.

India gave a relieved smile, and he tried to stand up, only to have his legs buckle under him.

"How long were we out?" Tibet asked, turning to Prussia.

"Not long," Prussia said. "Less than an hour, actually."

Tibet blinked in surprise. He could have sworn that it was longer. It felt like an eternity in that nightmare.

"The time of dreams is not equal to the time of reality," Nidra sighed. "It's understandable that you would feel that you've been in there for longer."

Tibet looked around, and he could see another familiar face, sitting on the ground nearby and his head cocked to the side in curiosity.

"Kalyan?" Tibet questioned, and Bangladesh's face brightened. He turned back to Prussia and India. "What happened to him?"

India flinched, before licking his lips. After a moment of self-debate, he focused his gaze squarely on Tibet.

"We found him in one of Requiem's brainwashing rooms," India said. "There was an annoying sound, and the lights were also flickering. To escape the sound… He punctured his eardrums. And it doesn't look as though he recognises anyone except me. Maybe you."

Tibet shuddered at the thought, and he turned to look sympathetically and Bangladesh. He could see the blood on the side of his head, and at the thought that he had done it to himself…

Tibet frowned, before he turned to look around. He remembered seeing Myanmar while en-route, and Nepal was a traitor. But he couldn't remember seeing the fourth member of the quartet. He saw neither Myanmar nor Bhutan _now_.

"Where are Khant and Loday?" he asked, turning to India.

India flinched again, and Tibet immediately understood.

"They're still with Requiem, aren't they?" he asked.

India nodded.

"Khant was captured along with Kalyan and I," India explained. "And Loday had been captured earlier. They took Loday because of his awakening prophetic abilities."

Tibet shuddered. If they had an oracle on their side…

That could never be good.

…

Bhutan breathed heavily, his eyes flying open. He had yet another dream, but this one felt a lot better than before. This one was good news.

…For his friends, at least. For _him_ …

He jumped when he heard the key turn in the door. Someone was coming in. Someone that most likely wanted to know about his latest prophesy.

Someone that wouldn't like what he would have to say.

 **Botswana is probably the neighbour that gives us the least amount of trouble, to the point where we sometimes forget about them. Namibia is also pretty quiet, but Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Lesotho are the ones we're not too fond of, mostly because of the refugees/illegal immigrants. And Swaziland also mostly keep to themselves, and I was actually surprised to learn the country changed its name (but I'm still going to refer to him as Swaziland in the story because he was still Swaziland when I started this and I am not going to cause confusion by suddenly referring to him by a different name). Any future stories that feature Swaziland (or Eswatini) will have the new name.**

 **And in other news, last week a school in KwaZulu-Natal was cancelled for three days due to a black mamba being found in one of the classrooms. As is commonly said, 'welcome to Africa'.**


	71. Chapter 70

**Thanks to AquaEclipse for reviewing.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 70**

Bhutan swallowed nervously when the door opened, revealing Romano and Greece. So, there were _two_ people that wouldn't like what he had to say.

"I see you're awake," Romano said. "Had a nice dream?"

Bhutan shrank back. He already knew that Greece was bad news, but Romano was one of the leaders. He especially didn't like it if there was a delay.

"There's something very specific I want to know about," Romano said. "Spain. Do you have _anything_ that could even remotely relate to him."

Bhutan shook his head. No, nothing that could be related to Spain.

"Are you _sure_?" Romano asked, raising his eyebrow.

"I-I haven't seen anything to do with Spain," Bhutan said, swallowing thickly.

Romano stared at him for a long moment, making Bhutan nervous. Well, more than he already was. He knew that Romano was the one that determined whether or not he would be in pain.

"It doesn't look as though you're lying," Romano said. "Damn."

"Looks like it's Plan B, then," Greece said.

One didn't need to be an oracle to know that those words weren't good news.

Greece stalked closer, taking a cloth out from one of his pockets. Bhutan tried to scramble backwards on the bed, but there was nowhere for him to escape. Greece pressed the cloth to his mouth and nose, and he struggled a bit, before a fist connected with his stomach. It wasn't too hard, but it was hard enough to force him to gasp for breath. It took a few inhalations for him to realise the situation, but it was too late.

"Show us Spain," Greece ordered.

His vision was pierced by white, and through the whiteness, he could see shapes forming. Figures. One he recognised as the nation of Spain.

He was forced to watch the vision, feeling nervous with everything he saw. This vision was more powerful than those he had before, and he wondered if it had anything to do with whatever was on the cloth that Greece still kept against his face.

Eventually, his vision faded to black, and he went limp. But he wasn't allowed to rest, as the cloth was removed, but a slap collided with the left side of his face, snapping him somewhat back to reality.

"It would seem Delphinia should be given in smaller doses," Romano remarked.

"Sorry," Greece said, though Bhutan knew that it wasn't directed at him. "Now then, tell us what you know."

Bhutan swallowed thickly, shakily pushing himself to a seated position. He didn't want to be in too prone a position with these two nearby. He knew that he had no other choice but to tell them _exactly_ what he had seen. Romano would know if he was lying to them.

"Spain's looking for someone," he said reluctantly. "A child. Someone related to him."

"We know that much," Romano said. "Does he find the child?"

Bhutan nodded his head.

"Are there other people with him?" Greece demanded.

Bhutan released a shaky breath.

"China, Thailand, Ukraine and France," he said.

Romano grinned.

"China and France happen to be priorities too," he said. "Especially considering France already cheated death once. And as for Thailand… Well, the Washroom is out for the time being. But maybe someone would like a pet. And I'm sure Belarus would want to have a little chat with her sister."

Bhutan shuddered. He actually liked Thailand, and wouldn't want anything to happen to him. Especially if these monsters weren't going to kill him. Death would be preferable to anything they could do.

"Will there be a confrontation?" Romano demanded.

"Y-yes," Bhutan said. "Three groups."

"Three?" Greece repeated. "That means that Alvora is there too."

"How many of them?" Romano demanded, and Bhutan could clearly see how annoyed he was getting. Whether it was the situation or him, he didn't know.

"Th-three," he yelped.

"That makes eight enemies in total," Greece muttered. "If we want an edge, then we'll need to take at least nine."

"We're going to have to ask someone with magic," Romano muttered. "Ireland is out, Egypt is still en-route… That leaves Jamaica. And his magic isn't that powerful."

"What about Belarus?"

"She's more of a medium. Practical magic isn't her strong suit. Offensive magic is definitely out." Romano tuned back to Bhutan. "Who else is going?"

"R-Romania, Poland and Finland," Bhutan stammered.

"Hungary would like to take on Romania," Romano muttered. "And Denmark would enjoy putting Finland in his place."

Bhutan swallowed nervously. Romano then turned back to him.

"Where _exactly_ are they going?" Romano asked.

"I-I don't know," Bhutan admitted. "I-I don't know the city."

"That's not too surprising," Greece sighed. "Any landmarks that you can use?"

"W-well… There's a ch-church or something. White w-with a b-blue roof."

Greece and Romano shared a look, and Bhutan hated how _satisfied_ Romano looked.

"I know exactly the place," Romano said. "I think that's enough. For now. I'll ask one of the others to send in some food for you."

Bhutan's breath hitched. They were mostly keeping him starved, probably because they seemed to think that the less food he had, the more likely he was to see something useful to them. The fact that they felt the need to feed him now only fuelled his guilt, instead of bringing relief. He knew that his information could be used to harm others.

Fortunately, he found a loophole in all of this. He only told them what they wanted to know, in other words, what they asked for. He didn't tell them any more than that. It was his only defiance. They had learned early on that they needed to ask him, since he refused to be a willing accomplice.

He was also fortunate that Romano didn't press him for more details. He didn't want to see the satisfaction on his captor's face.

…

Singapore stared blankly ahead of her as Philippines played with her hair. They were lying on a couch together, in what could have been considered a cuddle if both of them were there by choice. Classical music was playing, and that was basically the only way to stave off boredom.

There weren't any books, and Singapore hadn't seen anything remotely resembling a TV or a computer. She had enough awareness to know that Philippines was trying to make sure that she didn't learn of anything going on in the outside world. She also realised that Philippines didn't want her to realise that she was trying to invoke Stockholm Syndrome, so anything that could remotely make her realise what Philippines's behaviour could mean was kept away. Singapore realised this, and that was why she _wasn't_ succumbing to Stockholm Syndrome.

She just needed to _pretend_ that she was.

But it wasn't an easy thing to do. Part of the pretence was allowing Philippines to touch her when she didn't want or like to be touched. Singapore had always been particular about physical contact, and she had tolerated Philippines before all of this started, but now, even the lightest brush made her nervous. She couldn't help but wonder when Philippines would grow impatient, and would claim Singapore's body. She also remembered when Philippines took a bite of her, and whenever Philippines would nuzzle her face against Singapore's neck, she feared that the pain would come again, along with the feeling of being a scrap of meat.

Singapore jumped when Philippines's phone rang, and the other sighed, pulling away from Singapore to answer it, moving to the other side of the room as she did so. That was another thing: the only means of communication was Philippines's cell phone, which she kept on her at all times. She didn't trust Singapore enough to let down her guard when it came to the mobile device.

"What is it?" Philippines asked, keeping her voice low.

No matter how curious she was, Singapore didn't dare move closer. If Philippines realised that she was eavesdropping…

Her stomach stung at the reminder of when she'd accidentally overheard Philippines on her phone and when the other woman realised that she was there.

"Of course!" Philippines exclaimed eagerly.

Singapore decided that anything that made the cruel woman sound so excited couldn't be good.

"Give me five minutes," Philippines said, before she put the phone away. She turned to Singapore again and started walking closer. "I'm sorry, my pet. It seems I have to leave you for a while. Duty calls."

Singapore tried very hard to look disappointed, when in fact, she was cheering inside. She would get a small reprieve, and hoped that Philippines would be gone for a long time. Actually, she didn't mind starving to death a few times. If it meant that Philippines wouldn't be returning, then she'd accept that torture.

Philippines pulled Singapore to her feet, before leading her back to her bedroom – her prison cell. Again, she wasn't trusted enough to not attempt escape. She _could_ use this opportunity, but she had no idea how long Philippines would be gone. For all she knew, it could be a simple ribbon-cutting ceremony or something. It could be something that only required the minimum amount of time on Philippines's part.

"Now, be good," Philippines said sweetly, before closing the door.

Singapore flinched when she heard the lock click, before she sighed in relief. It might only be for a short time, but she had some time to be free of Philippines.

With that in mind, she climbed into her bed. Nothing much to do but sleep. It had been hard to do, ever since that time when she woke up with Philippines lying next to her. She just needed to pay attention to when the door was unlocked. Until then, she could catch up on much-deserved rest.

…

"So… That's Madrid?" Finland asked.

Romania had to say that it was most likely correct. And while he had expected something like this, he was hoping that he would be wrong.

The child was living under a bridge, far from anyone else. He supposed that even the homeless population that had no reason to care about the passage of time would have noticed that the child didn't grow older, and had chased Madrid away. There was a nest of the things collected, but Madrid…

The child was too small to be living alone like this.

Why didn't Madrid go to find Spain? It was as simple as that. Or, was the child afraid of something?

Romania shook himself when he saw that Madrid was leaving the nest under the bridge. Did the child have something else to do? What could…?

The conditions Madrid was living in made Romania realise what the child was about to do. After all, food and clothes had to come from _somewhere_.

"Come on," Romania said. "We need to follow."

He didn't know how much time there would be before Spain arrived, and where Madrid went, Spain would go. And hopefully, Requiem wouldn't follow, but just in case they would be there.

…

When Jamaica received the message that his help was needed, he was more than ecstatic.

He'd tried to manipulate the other Caribbeans by turning them against Haiti, but then Dominican Republic asked if he and Haiti had had a fight, and he realised that his efforts wouldn't work. It's been a few days, but Haiti's absence hadn't caused them to feel alarmed yet. After all, they were under the impression that he had gone to investigate his house that had burned down, and that could take a while to sort out.

His other alternative had been to remotely torture Sao Tomé, Haiti's lover, but without constant surveillance, he had no idea how well that was going. And he couldn't constantly survey him, because the other Caribbean nations were around.

So, yes, he was happy to be asked to help out with something that could possibly provide immediate results. And besides, he could manipulate the other Caribbean nations using Spain as well.

Though, for now…

"How long is this going to take?" Venezuela demanded.

Jamaica also had to fetch a few nations.

"Patience," Romano said. "He'll come."

"And so will Alvora," Hungary said. "But I don't see any of them yet."

"You're looking forward to getting rid of Romania, aren't you?" Belarus asked, a smirk on her face.

"Of course."

"I can just _imagine_ his face when he sees both of us," Bulgaria said.

"Don't let your guards down," Italy warned. "Remember, we're dealing with nations who are prepared for us."

"That means that they're not going to be easy to deal with," Greece said.

The nations of Requiem were determined to get at least _one_ victory that day. They weren't too picky, as long as they could do something to Spain, and as long as they could do something to Alvora.

This was not how it was supposed to go. They were supposed to have made enough preparations to prevent something like this from happening. They were supposed to have conquered half the world by the time someone had gotten wise to their activities, and there should have been no one that could stop them.

Jamaica could see that everyone was frustrated, and frustration usually led to desperation, and desperation led to mistakes. And they couldn't afford mistakes.

They just needed to find a way to really _hurt_ Alvora. They needed to weaken the biggest threat. And then they would need to fix any other cracks that appeared in their system.

"…There are a lot of humans around here," Romano said. "Hurting Spain should be extremely easy."

Jamaica smiled. That was at least _something_. So many humans, ready to slaughter.

"You haven't had a chance to have a proper meal yet, have you?" Chile asked, directing the question at Jamaica.

"No," he sighed. "Haiti made sure that I wouldn't be able to harm any of the others. And it's a bit difficult to slip away and get someone."

"Thought so," Chile said. "So, when we heard that you would be coming along, we got you some leftovers."

Jamaica grinned when the Tupperware container was given to him. He should have known that his friends would take care of him. After all, finding someone with similar tastes was pretty difficult.

"What did you do to Paraguay?" Romano asked, glancing at the two South Americans.

"We tied him up and left him in the kitchen," Venezuela said. "With enough food in sight. The glutton will be driven insane soon enough."

Jamaica chuckled as he took a little bite of the cooked meat. Venezuela knew how to properly spice and cook meat. No one would be able to tell what the source of this was.

…

Dominican Republic had opted for a trip to the town. He wanted to see the culture of Jamaica, and see what he could buy. A part of him kind of enjoyed lording it over Haiti that he was richer than the other nation. Made him feel just a bit happier about his own situation.

He didn't think much of it when his phone rang, though he was a bit surprised to see that it was Spain.

"Hola," DR greeted. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"First, tell me, who's with you and where are you?" Spain demanded.

"Woah, calm down. What's got you so stressed? Anyway, me and the other Caribbean nations are at Jamaica's place."

DR had to arch his eyebrow at the _very_ colourful Spanish curse that came from the other side.

"Where's Jamaica now?" Spain demanded.

"I don't know," DR said, frowning. "Everyone's scattered at the moment, to be honest. I'm on my own at the moment, but…"

"You can't trust Jamaica! He's part of the group that murdered Germany and the others!"

DR froze at those words. He glanced around, deciding that he should probably continue this conversation somewhere else.

"What are you talking about?" he asked in a low voice.

"It's a long story, and it's risky explaining it over the phone," Spain said. "But you _need_ to get away from Jamaica. He's bad news. And be careful of Haiti too, though he's not as bad. If you can, convince the other nations to come to France's place. Don't let Jamaica or Haiti see you leave, okay?"

"W-what's going on?"

"I'll explain when I see you. But please, don't trust Jamaica, and get here as soon as possible. Can you do that for me?"

Dominican Republic was silent for a moment. He didn't know what Spain meant when he said that Jamaica was part of the group that killed Germany and the others. Did it mean that there was an alliance of nations that decided to do things in a more extreme way than usual? And what would Jamaica be doing with nations like that?

But, then again… He _did_ notice that Jamaica seemed to act differently. He seemed tense – which wasn't something they usually saw with Jamaica – and he also seemed to be avoiding physical contact. Not to mention, some of the things he'd been saying, especially regarding Haiti…

And then he realised that there was something else that bothered him, and that actually scared him more than Spain's vague message: Jamaica hadn't been smoking at all. Not even a tabaco cigarette.

Jamaica had a horrible tendency to smoke at all times of the day, and he didn't particularly care if he had company. He'd been scolded by many of the others for the habit, particularly the girls. So the fact that he _hadn't_ been indulging in that habit made him realise that there was really something bad happening.

"…Alright," DR said. "I'll see if I can figure something out. I don't think anyone's going to agree to something without a proper explanation."

"Thank you," Spain breathed.

DR wanted to ask more, but the only the dial tone responded. Pursing his lips, he decided to see what Haiti had to say about all of this.

No answer.

…

"Alvora," Belarus said.

Everyone was immediately on their guard, following her gaze. They could see only three of them, standing at the other side of the area.

"We'll wait for Spain," Romano said. "And then we'll start the party."


	72. Chapter 71

**Thanks to AquaEclipse for reviewing.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 71**

"Finally," Spain sighed. "We're in Madrid."

"It's about time," China huffed. "So, do you know where he is?"

Spain was silent for a moment, his eyes closed.

"Si," he said, turning to France. "Go to the Catedral de la Almudena."

France nodded his head, his lips pursing together. Both Spain and France understood what it could mean. If it _was_ a trap set by Requiem, then there would be a lot of collateral damage. It was a popular tourist destination, and if they decided to attack…

They could only hope that Requiem had other things to do.

…

White was in the kitchen, slowly eating brunch while a few of the others explained what had happened during her state of unconsciousness. She could feel a headache coming, and she wasn't sure which factor was causing it. Or perhaps _all_ of the factors were responsible.

"So, you're saying that Imane smothered Themba because him temporarily dying at her hand is the only way to get him to see again?" she repeated.

"Unfortunately," Khoisan sighed.

"…What else should I know about?"

"Sammy's an official member now, and he's helping Gilbert and the others out right now," Mozambique explained. "And…"

"Wait…" White said, frowning. "Hold on."

She could recognise the buzzing, and she sighed as she removed her phone, dialling one of the humans she'd left in charge of her country. A descendant of a Malay slave and a Dutch farmer, she could still remember when the woman begged her to make sure her baby had a good future. And the descendants, being among the only humans that Alvora could trust with anything.

"What's going on?" she demanded.

"It's Soweto," the man sighed. "They refuse to pay the electric bills, and are upset at all the loadshedding."

"Then tell them that they're no longer getting loadshedding. If they don't want to pay, then they don't deserve a single minute of electricity. They owe more than everyone else combined. It's time they accepted that the ANC is no longer in control, and they're not getting special treatment. And if they continue to insist… I think it would be time to remind them about what their nations can do."

Khoisan frowned disapprovingly at her, but she didn't care. She was sick and tired of these humans that thought that she was _their_ slave. It was the other way around. They lived because she and Black allowed them to live, and if they continued to expect that they could get anything without earning it, then they would have nothing.

"And what about the other municipalities?" the human asked.

"Have them do their job for once and tell them to check the records," she instructed. "Any household that's more than three months overdue will have their power cut off until their debt is three months or lower. And if the municipalities refuse to cooperate, tell them I have a bunch of schoolchildren in mind that could do their job."

Mozambique snorted, and Angola started to rifle through the cabinets.

"And if they decide to riot?" the man asked.

"Then I will _personally_ deal with them," she said. "Themba and I have allowed them to destroy us long enough. It's time they learned that _we're_ the ones that decide their fate. Actually… Tell Christian to call me. I have something to discuss with him."

"Of course," he said. "I'll tell him immediately."

She hung up, before drinking the painkiller that Angola had found for her. Just as she finished, her phone rang again.

"Christian, I think it's time to fix the problems the ANC caused," she said. "Starting with the death penalty. It's time to bring it back. And then we also need to restore corporal punishment at the schools."

…

Poland was the first to spot them, across the square. It was thankfully tourist season for Spain, so it wasn't too unusual to see many people of different nationalities being there at the moment. But still, some people could not be missed, especially if you knew who they were.

He felt his heart stop when he saw just how many of them had come along.

Romania and Finland noticed them as well, and they kept their eyes on their enemies. Several of Requiem's members were watching them as well, while some were scanning the crowds. Neither side made a move, and Poland knew why: they were all waiting for Spain's arrival.

Poland's eyes trailed to Hungary, and he could feel his heart clench. He wasn't particularly happy when he learned that she was a member of Requiem. To be honest, he was devastated. She had always been so nice to him, and he'd even considered inviting her to join Alvora, but now…

He wondered if it would have made a difference. He had no idea when she could have joined Requiem. Would he have gotten to her in time, or would he have revealed Alvora to Requiem by telling her? And if Romania wasn't nearby to do damage control…

He also realised that she was like a mother-figure to Italy. If Italy was following his grandfather's wishes, then it would mean that Requiem had existed long before he went to live with Austria. Before he met Hungary. And, if she was really someone that Italy liked, then could it have been in that period that he recruited her?

This uncertainty made him feel nauseous. He still wanted to think of Hungary as his friend, but how could he face her now? She was part of a group that had actively _hurt_ members of his own group. His friends.

As luck would have it, Hungary's attention shifted to him, and their eyes locked. He actually felt a surge of fear when he saw her smile sweetly at him. It wasn't a mocking smile, or a smirk, or something that promised pain and suffering. It looked like the warm smiles she would often give him when she was consoling him in a moment of weakness. When he couldn't get in touch with a fellow Alvora nation, or when he was feeling guilty over what he was allowing his humans to do to his allies, or the hurt he felt when another Alvoran had to allow their humans to do something to affect his people, and thus him.

Prussia was probably the biggest culprit, and Poland would admit, he didn't like being alone in a room with Prussia. And he knew that Prussia felt awkward around him too. As much as possible, they tried to have other nations with them. Lithuania playing the middleman was what eventually caused Prussia and Lithuania to become a couple, though it might have seemed impossible, given their history.

But he reminded himself that it would all be worth it in the end. Once Alvora was finished, there would be no more wars. No reason to pretend to hate each other. No reason to allow their allies to suffer because of what the humans wanted. No reason to fight each other.

Poland reached out to take Finland's hand, who squeezed his in return. He was nervous too, his eyes locked on Denmark, who was staring at Finland with a cold, blank look. It would be awkward for all of them.

"Spain's close," Romania said in a low voice. "Wait until they make their move. Be ready."

"Got it," Finland said.

"Like, understood," Poland said.

…

Tibet had opted for open-eyed meditation. He wanted to calm his mind, especially after the nightmare, and he wanted to see what was happening around him.

Bangladesh had moved to sit beside him, but Tibet could see that there was something missing in those eyes. Something had happened to Bangladesh's mind.

Tibet tried not to jump when one of the nations – Serbia, as he was told – screamed as he jolted awake. He was the first to wake so violently. Even after he realised what was going on around him, he was still trembling as he searched through his pockets.

"Damjan," Prussia said. "Are you okay?"

"I-I just n-need t-to…" he stammered, before he pressed his phone against his ear.

Tibet watched Serbia intently.

"Matthew!" Serbia cried out. "Are you okay?"

Tibet could almost imagine that the person on the other end of the line was saying something along the lines of 'I should be asking _you_ that'. He could see Serbia visibly relax, and he couldn't help the small smile that crossed his face.

"I'm sorry," Serbia said. "We… We managed to get Gilbert and Raj out, but… Requiem _did_ something to us. They messed with our minds. I thought…"

Tibet thought about the nightmares, and what Serbia must have thought. He thought that his lover was in danger.

"I'll explain everything later," Serbia said. He looked around. "I have no idea how long it would be, but… At least I know you're safe."

Tibet was happy to see that Serbia was more worried about his lover, but that also brought about another fear. What exactly did Serbia _see_?

Tibet looked around at the other nations. India and Israel were sitting close to each other, unable to touch. He found that to be a particularly cruel torture from Requiem. And then Lithuania and Prussia were sitting huddled against each other, as though they were afraid to lose the other. Lithuania especially had that fear. Sierra Leone had Malaysia's head in her lap, and she was worriedly waiting for him to wake up.

There were still quite a few of them that needed to wake up, and Tibet was worried, the longer things went on, that they might be too late with one of them. That one of them succumbed to Requiem's influence.

He looked towards India, who looked as though he was desperate to fall asleep again. Israel's hand was close to India's on the ground. They were so desperate for that contact, but neither wanted to hurt the other.

If anyone deserved to be called evil, Tibet was sure that it was the nations of Requiem.

…

"Here," Spain said, as France parked the car.

He could feel it. Madrid was nearby. And knowing that, he suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of dread. Would Madrid really have all of his predecessor's memories? Would he know who Spain was? And what would he look like? Would he look just like the old Madrid, or would he look different?

These thoughts plagued Spain's mind as he led the way to Almudena. He only snapped out of them when he realised that they had arrived, and that Madrid was _there_.

…And it was tourist season.

Spain winced when he saw all the people. Normally, nations loved it when tourists came. But not when they had something important to accomplish.

"How are we going to find him?" Ukraine asked, looking over the crowd.

Spain tried to focus on his connection to the capital region, and his eyes trailed to the left. He started walking closer, and he could sense the others following after him. There was a particularly dense crowd, most of them holding cameras. A tourist group. And at the very back, sneaking a wallet back into the back pocket of one of the distracted men, was a child he could sense the connection from.

He didn't know what he expected from the new Madrid, except for one thing. Since the previous Madrid was male, he assumed the new one would be too. But that was not the case.

Slipping the stolen money into her own pocket, she started slinking away. Spain followed after her, and he called out the human name of the previous Madrid.

"Cande!"

Candelario. That was the human name of the former Madrid. But he always insisted on the name being shortened. Which was why, if she shared his memories, she would recognise the name spoken in his voice.

Sure enough, the child froze when she heard his voice. She recognised it. She whipped around, and her eyes widened when she saw him.

"España…" she whispered.

She clearly resembled a younger Spain, just in female form. She couldn't have been physically older than eight, and Spain didn't even know her true age. Her hair was a bit ratty, but an attempt had been made to make it at least look less so. Her clothes were faded, and they had a few holes, if one bothered to look for them. But the most striking feature, at least to Spain, were her eyes.

The former Madrid also had the same dark, soulful blue eyes. They resembled the night sky, and that was all the proof that he needed that she was the one he was looking for.

It only lasted a moment, before Madrid decided to run away. Spain half-expected it, so he was already prepared to run, and he managed to catch her within seconds. She tried to struggle, but he wrapped his arms around her. Only with their bodies pressed so close together could he feel how bony she was.

"No!" she whined. "L-let go."

"Madrid," he said. "Why didn't you come to me before? How long have you been living like this?"

She shook her head, but he noticed that she wasn't screaming or anything. That was good, for him at least.

Then a realisation dawned on him. It would certainly explain why she wanted to keep her distance.

"I know about Requiem," he said. "And I know what happened to Candelario."

She tensed, and then she went limp. Spain pulled her closer, turning her to face him. Tears were brimming in those dark blue eyes.

"They… They would h-hurt you," she whimpered. "They're monsters."

"I know," he said. "But that's no reason for you to live on the streets. You should have come to me. We could have figured something out."

He could sense the other nations behind him, but they kept their distance, respectful of the moment between nation and capital region.

"I didn't… want you to be in danger," she said. "They do bad things to people that find out about them."

"Well, it's too late for all of that now," Spain said. "Most of the world knows about them now. And someone else has been keeping them busy."

She cocked her head to the side, and Spain smiled fondly at her.

"Why don't we go now?" he asked. "I promise, I'll keep you safe."

Before she could answer, there was an explosion of sound. The first sound was an actual explosion, and of all the places that it could have been, it _had_ to be the cathedral nearby. Spain felt the intense pain at having an important landmark erupt in flames. He could hear the panicked screams of the humans around them, but it was the scream of the girl in his arms that scared him. This was her land too. She felt the same pain he felt. But considering how small she was, she probably felt it even worse than he did.

"Zut!" France swore. "The cathedral…!"

"We've got bigger problems!" China exclaimed.

As much as Spain resented hearing that an explosion in the capital wasn't the main concern, he had to admit, China had a point. There was only one reason why it would happen there and then.

Requiem.

Cautiously, he stood up, holding Madrid in his arms. He could feel her trembling as he turned around to see the nine nations approaching. He swallowed thickly. There were so many of them. Even though this turned out to be a trap, there shouldn't have been _this_ many of them.

His eyes focused on the two figures in the centre. Two nations that he used to like. They were related to him, in a way, and to know that they would hurt him like this filled him with another type of hurt.

"It's about damn time," Romano said. "Do you have any idea how long we've been waiting?"

The humans were scrambling away, clearing the vicinity. That thankfully meant less collateral damage, but the damage had already been done.

The others readied themselves for battle, though they were sorely outnumbered. As it was, only one of them wouldn't have to deal with two opponents, and Spain wasn't entirely sure if he could fight. Not to mention, he had to prioritise getting Madrid to safety.

He could hear running footsteps, but that in itself wasn't too unusual, all things considered. But they were getting closer to them, and Spain decided to risk breaking eye-contact to see who was coming towards them. And his jaw dropped when he saw who it was.

"That's _enough_!" Romania shouted, before he, Poland and Finland positioned themselves with Spain's group.

"What?!" China exclaimed. "What are _you_ doing here?!"

"I called them," France explained. "Just in case."

Spain was happy to know that France, at the very least, trusted Alvora. It didn't make him feel like such a traitor now for letting them take Andorra without consulting the rest.

The Requiem nations didn't seem to be surprised to see the Alvorans, and Spain wondered idly how long the two groups had been waiting. How much time did they allow themselves to prepare?

Judging by Requiem's numbers, _a lot_. He counted the nations again, and the odds were a little better, though still not in their favour.

Nine against eight.

…

Sao Tomé stumbled into the kitchen, feeling incredibly nauseous. He'd been feeling like that for a while, actually. He noticed that a few of the others were there as well, but he decided to focus on getting some water first.

"Tiago?" White called out. "Are you okay?"

He idly nodded, and he tried to smile, but a sharp pain in his left ear made him pause. Asides from the fact that there was a ringing in his ear… he was pretty sure that the pain came from his inner ear.

None of the other nations seemed to think he was alright, and Angola walked up to him. She placed her hand against his forehead, and her eyes widened.

"Tiago, you're _icy_!" she announced.

He didn't feel clammy or anything. Angola turned to White.

"Do you have a thermometer or something?" she asked.

"Not here," White muttered. "I can go get one."

"Hurry. This isn't natural."

 **The first scene featuring White is partly a complaint about what's happening in South Africa right now. 'Loadshedding' is most likely the most hated word in South Africa. I think even 'Apartheid' is more popular than loadshedding. Basically, we have scheduled blackouts. Not only is it inconvenient, it is** _ **literally**_ **ruining the economy. My local supermarket, which is a blossoming chain with three huge stores in three different towns, spends R23 000 (about 1 546 USD) on generators** _ **per hour**_ **. They can't afford not to use the generators, as there are a lot of items that need to be refrigerated. And for smaller places and households that can't afford generators… And then there's Soweto, who owes more than everyone else, but they don't get loadshedding because 'Oh, a lot of Apartheid heroes come from Soweto, let's give them special treatment!' Nice to see their fight for equality wasn't in vain.**

 **To get an idea of how bad the loadshedding is, google 'loadshedding schedule 2020', go for the first result from Eskom. There you'll find an example schedule, along with an explanation of how to read it.**

 **And I know it's a controversial and unpopular opinion, but this country really needs the death penalty. People aren't afraid of repercussions. The worst thing is, what, prison? People might try to lie and cheat and bribe their way out, but in the end, it doesn't really scare them. Same for corporal punishment at schools (I'm not referring to beating them – when I was at school, we were terrified of getting slapped with a wooden spoon on the palm of our hands). Kids respond better to pain when they know they did something wrong. It's how you condition them. And if they** _ **know**_ **their punishment will involve pain, they tend to think twice. Now… There was recently a story about three teachers that were attacked by students. One of the teachers was hospitalised for two days. And when I was working at a primary school, the kids weren't allowed to take scissors out of class because they actually stabbed each other with them on the playground. The same with combs. But** _ **no**_ **. Human rights are** _ **much**_ **more important than helping create a respectful society. And human rights are also** _ **much**_ **more important than human lives. And yeah, some of you might argue that there are countries doing just fine without the death penalty and corporal punishment, but unfortunately, this isn't one of those countries. And until** _ **someone**_ **here grows a backbone and decides that what the people need is more important than what they want, we're stuck with all of this. I'm not saying it's the** _ **best**_ **solution, or the only one, but that it** _ **is**_ **a solution. Because honestly, are you telling me that a guy who's been raping his daughter since she was ten can only have fifteen years of jailtime, and when he comes out he's free to rape again? Or what about the guy that recently kidnapped, raped, murdered and burned the corpse of a fifteen-year-old girl? Are you saying that after a few years in jail, he can go back to living his life? Or what about the guy that raped a three-day-old baby? Do we** _ **really**_ **need people like these in our society? In the 2018/2019 statistics, 58 people were murdered** _ **per day**_ **. Does this look like a country that fears repercussions?**


	73. Chapter 72

**Thanks to AquaEclipse for reviewing.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 72**

France looked over the two groups. So, Portugal had sent Romania, Finland and Poland. He was surprised to see Romania there, considering the close relationship he and Portugal had. He would have thought that Portugal would want to keep his lover safe. That was what France would have done.

Figuring that the Alvoran nations were of the least concern, he turned his attention to the nine Requiem nations. Why would they bring so many of them?

Italy and Romano were there, and it scared him a bit to see that the leaders were there. Accompanying them were Jamaica, Denmark, Hungary, Bulgaria, Chile, Venezuela and Philippines. At least three of those nations had a personal grudge against Spain.

"Looks like the rest of our enemies finally decided to come closer," Italy said, smirking. "Took you long enough. Did you enjoy the _touching_ moment too?"

Romania's eyes narrowed, before he eyed the Requiem nations.

"…I see you've been using Bhutan," he said. "Otherwise, why bring so many? Unless, of course, you were worried that you'd lose."

France could sense China and Thailand tense at the mention of Bhutan. He was also curious about it, but he felt that it wasn't his place to ask.

"What have you done to Bhutan?!" China demanded. "And Tibet too?"

"Why should we tell you?" Philippines demanded. "That's not your business."

"If I feel it when someone is tortured, then it _is_ my business!"

"So, you _could_ feel it," Italy remarked. "Taiwan was right, then."

France chanced a look at China at that moment. His anger had mostly faded away, to be replaced by fear. Italy seemed to notice this too, for he chuckled.

"When we call, our Sleepers feel compelled to answer," Italy explained. "They also feel compelled to be alone, and that's _before_ we say their trigger phrase. They remember nothing about the calls, of course, and are a _great_ source of information."

China clenched his fists, and France could even see them trembling. His thoughts then wandered over to Andorra, and he wondered if _he_ also received calls like that. And what the results would have been on his mind.

France was tempted to ask Romania about Andorra, but there was a time and place, and it was neither. They couldn't afford distractions. At any moment, the inevitable conflict would begin.

"How can you do it?" Thailand whispered. "How can you live with the things you've done?"

There was a bark of laughter from several of the Requiem nations, and the sound made France's heart shift from pumping blood to pumping ice.

"You're _honestly_ asking us that?!" Romano barked. "We're _nations_! How many of you can _honestly_ say that your hands are clean?"

"That's right," Philippines said. "Or does 'Thammasat' mean nothing to you? On that note, what about 'Tiananmen', China?"

France glanced towards the two Asians, who looked as though they'd taken a dip in a pool of chalk with how pale they'd gotten.

"We know that the two of you were _personally_ involved with those massacres," Italy said. "And France, don't think I've forgotten Aigues-Mortes. Your only saving grace is that you _weren't_ personally involved with that one."

"But you _were_ with the June Days Uprising," Romano said. "And as for Spain, can you honestly tell me that you can live with yourself after the Inquisition? Tell me, has Portugal told you about his lack of religion yet?"

"How did you know about that?!" Romania demanded, and France could see that he looked worried now.

"Sao Tomé and Príncipe aren't the only ones that know a thing or two about body language. I remember Portugal and Spain visiting each other several times during my time under Spain." Romano spat the words out as though they left a bad taste in his mouth. "I remember how Portugal would look uncomfortable whenever the subject of religion came up, and especially with the punishments. I also paid close attention to _which_ particular types made him nervous. Blasphemers and heretics in particular, and once people started understanding the concept of _atheism_ , his reactions were a lot less subtle, at least to me. Trust me, I know what it's like to have to keep your true devotion secret."

"Roman pagans," Finland said. "That's what you are, aren't you? If Rome had such a huge influence…"

"Correct," Italy said. "Nonno was right when he called Christianity a dangerous cult. But the emperor _insisted_. At least _we_ understand that our gods can fight their own battles. It's not the place of humans to take revenge in the name of the gods."

"Something that the Abrahamic religions can't seem to comprehend," Romano scoffed.

"And, like, where does Vatican fit into all of this?" Poland asked. "Like, isn't he your brother? And the capital of the very religion you seem to hate?"

France felt a chill once Poland said it, and he glanced in the direction of the Eastern European. His gaze was fixed on Italy, while Finland, who was standing right next to Poland, was scanning the area, as though looking for something. Knowing Finland's proficiency as a sniper, France figured scanning the area was second nature to him, but he looked as though he was looking for something – or someone – in particular.

"While it was true that he was born from that very cult," Romano said, "we managed to make him see things our way."

"Let me guess," Romania sneered, "you took him to your Washroom."

France felt a jolt when he heard that word.

"First, the Washroom wasn't constructed yet," Romano said. "Second, all we had to do was point out the contradictions between what they say and what they do. For a religion of love, there's sure a lot of hatred."

France winced when he heard that. It reminded him of a similar conversation he'd had with Voltaire once upon a time. How the philosopher couldn't imagine how a god that conveyed a message of love would allow all this hatred in his name.

Before anyone else could say anything, Spain grunted in pain. France's attention immediately went to Spain, and he heard Romano chuckle.

"It seems that Belarus finally managed to complete the circle," Romano remarked.

France felt his heart pump ice again when he realised that the nine nations in front of them weren't the _only_ Requiem nations. That would explain Finland's behaviour. He was searching for the others.

"What did you do?!" Romania demanded.

"A simple containment circle," Hungary said. "This prevents any of us from leaving this area for the next hour. Plenty of time to kill a few of you. And there's no way you're going to escape us _this_ time."

France heard a whimper, and he turned back to Spain. He focused on the small girl in his arms, who was watching the Italian brothers with wide, fearful eyes. And France was reminded of the fact that this girl had seen Requiem's cruelty through the memories of her predecessor. To be in the presence of the ones responsible for her birth through the suffering of another…

France could understand that she would be scared.

His attention was drawn to Ukraine when she gasped, and he followed his line of sight to see that she was looking at Belarus, who was casually walking up to them after apparently finishing what she had set out to do. But she wasn't alone.

She was flanked by Greece and New Zealand, and France felt a particular jolt when he saw Greece. He'd known the other European for _centuries_ , but his face didn't look like the Greece he knew. He looked alert, for one thing, and there was a particular gleam in his eye that France didn't like.

Then there was the fact that this entire conversation was to keep them busy while they made sure that they couldn't escape their current situation. And now…

Now the odds were unfavourable again: twelve against eight.

…

Oman was on his way to one of the hotel rooms. He hadn't booked in, because he didn't intend to stay long. However, there was someone that he felt he should go see.

He checked to make sure that he had the correct number, before knocking on the door. He only had to wait a short while before it opened, revealing Afghanistan on the other side. She blinked in surprise when she saw him, before cocking her head to the side.

"Oman?" she asked. "This is a surprise. To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"Are you alone?" he asked. "There's something I want to discuss with you."

He could see the hesitation in her eyes, which he didn't blame her for. She nodded her head, allowing him to enter. But he also noticed that, once she closed the door, she made sure to be a safe distance away, with her weapon in arm's reach.

"So, what is it?" she demanded.

He took a deep breath, knowing that she wouldn't be too impressed.

"Alvora could use your help," he admitted.

There was a long moment of silence. She shifted her stance, narrowing her eyes.

"So, you're with _that_ group," she remarked. "How long?"

"A few days," he admitted.

"And how did they win you over? Threats of invasion? Blackmail?"

He shook his head.

"The truth is, they confided in me a long time ago," he said. "They wanted to recruit me, but I wasn't interested back then. I was sworn to secrecy, but I _was_ allowed to know what they were doing. And when they told me about Requiem, they asked me if I wanted to join them again. It's better to be allied with them than to be vulnerable against Requiem."

"And how do you know they can be trusted?" she asked.

"Because _they_ kept their promise to me."

"And what promise was that?"

"An end to Yemen's civil war."

She was silent for a moment as she processed his words.

"Does Yemen know about this?" she asked at last.

"I convinced him to join with me," he said. "He's a lot more relaxed than before."

"And he's alright with signing his freedom away?"

"You don't get it. We _joined_. We're members. They help us, we help them, but they won't ask us to do something that we don't want to do."

"And what about those under their control?"

"You've heard the official reports…"

"I want to know what they do to the _nations_! Not what's happening in their countries."

Oman was quiet as he processed the request.

"Jordan and Lebanon are protectorates," he said. "They're not active members, but the contract is signed. They have a right to refuse if we want something, but we'll be sure to protect them, and they've consented to allow us to change things in their countries."

"And will they be able to tell me anything?" Afghanistan asked. "I thought they were sworn to secrecy. Unable to break it."

"I've actually consulted Portugal about this. They _can_ tell you what you want to know, as long as a member of Alvora gives their approval. But I would do this quickly, if I were you. They're on their way to the safe haven in South Africa."

She looked at him with a puzzled expression.

"Why specifically South Africa?" she asked.

"Because they complained about Canada's cold," Oman simply explained.

"…Are those the only safehouses you have?"

"Romania also has one. We're kind of focused on safety in numbers."

"Apparently…"

He pursed his lips together, before he sighed.

"I'm going to tell you something that not even Saudi or Turkey know about," he said. "A few days ago, Requiem captured Tunisia. They took him to the base they use for indoctrination, the Washroom, as they call it. But they didn't take him to brainwash _him_. They used him as a test for the nations they _were_ brainwashing. I don't know the exact details, but he was attacked by Nigeria and… and cannibalised by Algeria."

Afghanistan reeled back, her face growing horrified.

"W-what?" she whispered.

"Alvora managed to rescue him, but he's still pretty shaken," Oman said. "That's why we're focusing on safety in numbers. This isn't like anything we've seen before. Alvora is prepared for a war with Requiem. And they can teach you how to fight on that level."

She was silent as she seemed to ponder it. Eventually she looked to the ceiling, as though seeking strength, before she turned her attention to Oman again.

" _If_ I agree to this," she said, "what's in it for me?"

"The end of the Taliban," Oman said.

She barked a laugh.

"Too bad things like that don't happen overnight," she said. "And we've seen what happens when other nations interfere."

"Africa is going smoothly," Oman pointed out. "And Yemen too. We'll also see if there's a way to help Pakistan."

She was silent for a moment.

"I think I'll hear what Jordan and Lebanon have to say about it," she said.

"That's fair," Oman sighed.

…

Ukraine was on the defensive. What did she expect? Her opponent was Belarus, and she didn't know what caused her sister to look so angry with her.

"Natalia, can't we please talk?" she asked desperately.

"And what do you want to _talk_ about?" Belarus scoffed as she brought her sword down.

Ukraine winced as she blocked the strike with her pitchfork. It wasn't a fair match, but at least she had something that could be considered a weapon under normal circumstances.

China was currently using his wok as a shield. Against Greece. It wasn't going well.

"Why are you so angry?" Ukraine asked desperately.

Belarus sneered.

"Let me guess, you think this has something to do with _you_ ," she said. "Well… You're not _entirely_ wrong. But I'm disappointed that Ivan isn't the one to come here."

"I don't understand," Ukraine said. "You _adored_ him."

"Well, at least I know my acting skills are on point. No, foolish sister. Obsession can go both ways. I _hate_ him. And as for you… You're a passive coward. You had the power to call him back. You could have stopped a lot of the things he's done. But you _didn't_. You're guilty by being passive."

Ukraine's eyes widened. Was that really what Belarus thought? And… What did she mean when she said that she had the power to stop all of what Russia's done? Did she mean during the soviet era? But that didn't make sense either.

Belarus shifted her sword sideways, and the deadlock was broken. Belarus recovered faster, and lunged at Ukraine again. Ukraine barely had the time to block, and she cried out in pain when Belarus's sword nicked her side.

…

Prussia looked up when Botswana left from Brunei's body. He was still the only one that could see the African nation, asides from the gods, but the others were well aware of what was going on, so they wouldn't be too surprised if he started talking with Botswana.

And it looked as though the newest member of the group had a lot on his mind.

"What's up?" Prussia asked.

This was the first time that he saw Botswana looking annoyed. Considering Botswana tended to be calm and level-headed most of the time, as well as patient, it was saying something that he was annoyed.

"You neglected to tell me that Brunei didn't have that hypnotic suggestion," Botswana gritted out. "Do you have _any_ idea how difficult it was for me to get him out of that? How _close_ he was to being lost?"

A chill raced down Prussia's spine when Botswana reminded him that Brunei was also a recent recruit, and therefore wouldn't have had the precautions that the rest of them had.

"Shit, I forgot about that," he said. "But, you managed to get him out safely?"

Botswana nodded his head, before glancing towards Brunei. The latter was clutching his head, groaning as though in pain.

"His situation can be summed up simply as a crisis of faith," Botswana explained. "I think you better go talk to him. Oh, and might I suggest getting some body paint? Grey would be ideal."

Prussia was a bit confused about the body paint comment, but before he could ask, Botswana disappeared. Brunei was the last of the group to awaken.

"What's wrong?" Lithuania asked. "Did something happen?"

"We forgot that Brunei is new too," Prussia said.

Lithuania widened his eyes, before he turned his attention to the aforementioned nation.

"Should we check to make sure he's alright?" Lithuania asked.

"I'm going to do that now," Prussia said, rising to his feet. "At least I know what's going on with him."

He painfully walked towards Brunei, before sitting down next to him.

"Sammy tells me you're dealing with a crisis of faith," Prussia said.

Brunei jumped at his voice, turning to him in surprise. It took a moment for him to process what was being said, and when he did, he nodded his head.

"You could say that," he said.

"What exactly is the problem?" Prussia asked.

Brunei didn't immediately answer, instead looking around. Prussia realised that his attention was focused on the Hindu gods helping them out.

"Ah, I see," Prussia said. "I've been in your shoes once before. A religious order, remember? Finding out that the gods of the people I was attacking were real… And then finding out that I've been doing a lot more damage than good. I was supposed to be following a god of love and mercy… but those were two things I didn't show. When I realised that the nations travelling with me were afraid of me… I guess you could say that it was the moment I turned my life around."

Brunei was listening intently, and once Prussia was finished, he averted his gaze.

"And how do you think I should deal with it?" he asked.

"Accept that you were wrong, and move on," Prussia said. "Just because your worldview changed doesn't mean the world's ending. Live and learn, after all. Nothing stays the same forever."

"But…"

"Listen, this just means that there isn't _one_ god. I'm not telling you to give up your religion or anything. But if I could make a suggestion, I'd say that you need to keep in mind that other people are right too. And there's no need to fight about it."

 **Technically speaking, Portugal and several other nations from Requiem and Alvora are alatrists: they acknowledge the existence of gods, but they do not worship them. And there are some cases where the nations are misotheists, at least regarding other gods: they acknowledge them, but hate them. This is especially true for Requiem.**

 **I currently work as an editor for a company creating resources for schools. Last week, I've been editing Creative Arts, which has a topic on body art. What Botswana is referring to is that each colour is said to represent something different, with grey representing protection. So, he's basically telling Prussia that they would need to take extra measures to protect themselves.**

 **Speaking of editing, whenever I go back to look for something, I see that I made a few errors. I think I'll go back and fix all of those, so if there's a delay, it's probably because of the extra editing.**

 **And in other news, last night was the State of National Address (SONA). Just… If you want to see just how messed up South Africa is, go look at** _ **that**_ **. It's the very definition of mixed feelings. Part of me was amused, but other parts of me were embarrassed, worried, afraid…** _ **These**_ **are the people running the country! News24 has the entire thing on YouTube, but it's the first 54 minutes you need to look at. Let's just say, if there was an award for most patience, Speaker of Parliament deserves that award. Just… trust me. Grab your popcorn and watch.**


	74. Chapter 73

**Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 73**

Spain was _very_ glad that he'd brought his axe with him. He didn't want to know what would have happened if he didn't.

His opponent was Romano, and he couldn't recall that his former charge was such a good fighter. It made all the times he fled from battle seem so distant now. Not only was Romano an excellent fighter, but he was also ruthless.

"Come on, _boss_!" Romano mocked. "Is that the _best_ you've got? Where's that conquistador now?"

Spain tried not to raise to the bait, not that it was the most upsetting thing he'd heard. If Romano was trying to get him angry to make him lose focus, then he would have to try harder.

He'd told Madrid to hide, that he would come get her when it was all over. He figured that she would have gone running to wherever it was she had been hiding from him, but she couldn't leave the area, and the cathedral itself was ground zero. At least half of it had been reduced to ruins, and he had a feeling that it would only get worse if she got near it. So, she was hiding behind the statue – not a good hiding place, in his opinion, but no one from Requiem spared her a second glance. She had been their bait, after all, and they currently didn't have a use for her. And he couldn't imagine that they needed more _test subjects_.

That thought actually _did_ cause Spain's temper to flare a bit, but he couldn't allow his thoughts to betray him at this moment. Currently, he was dealing with someone that wanted to see him suffer. Wanted to see him die. He wasn't going to give him any type of advantage.

Spain parried, which resulted in a shift in position. This new position allowed him to see France, as well as his two opponents. He hated to see the unfair situation, and as soon as he dispatched Romano, he intended to help France.

A task that was easier said than done, since Spain was still suffering the effects of having an attack located at his capital. His heart. At least he wasn't suffering as much as Madrid.

Still, there was something odd going on. Requiem had been a bit too organised when the fighting started, as though they _knew_ which opponent to challenge. Did they spend that first part after their arrival figuring out who would battle whom? Was that why Spain and Madrid had such a long chance to chat, all things considering?

Also, why was it only Romano that chose to be his opponent? He was under the impression that all of this was a trap for _him_. That he'd gotten some of his former colonies in order to attack _him_. But only Romano chose to fight against him. Why?

The only other participants with two opponents were the Alvora nations. Romania against Bulgaria and Italy, Poland against Hungary and Jamaica, and Finland against Denmark and New Zealand. The formulae were off. He could understand why Philippines would go against Thailand, but the rest…

Considering their history, he was pretty sure that Hungary would have wanted to fight Romania. He also thought that Italy and New Zealand would have fought together against the same opponent, considering their relationship. None of this made any sense.

He knew that he came across as a bit of an airhead, and away from the battlefield, he _could_ be a bit ditzy. But _on_ the battlefield, he was cunning, strategic. He used to be an empire, after all. He allowed his opponents to underestimate him. But it didn't seem as though Romano fell for any of that.

Romano brought his sword down hard, and Spain gritted as the vibrations raced through his arms as he blocked the strike. Romano had a crazed grin on his face – one he'd _never_ seen on the Italian's face before.

"You need to focus, Spain," Romano mocked again. "Can't be too careful."

Spain gritted his teeth, pushing Romano away and adding some distance between them.

"Something's been bugging me," Spain said. "If I'm the target, why aren't you making more of an effort with me? Or, am I too weak for that?"

Romano smirked, probably because Spain was smart enough to try to diffuse the potentially insulting question.

"We knew that you'd be foolish enough to come after Madrid," Romano said. "We also knew that you wouldn't be stupid enough to come alone. Alvora is both a pain and a bonus. And then you brought someone who managed to escape death by being at the right place at the right time. By the way, congratulations for _finally_ getting officially together with France."

Spain grew cold, and his gaze slid towards France. He was fighting two opponents… same as Alvora…

"You see, Spain, you might be _a_ target, but you're not _the_ target," Romano said. "Especially since many of the others who want to make you pay can't be here right now, thanks to your brother and his little club."

Portugal's warning regarding their knowledge of France echoed in his mind, and he realised that they had every intention of harming France that day. He didn't know if they wanted to kill him, torture him or take him. But he knew that they had every intention of hurting him.

Rage unlike any other seared through Spain's veins, and he let out a cry of fury.

"You bastard!" he shouted as he brought down the axe to cut down Romano.

The other managed to block with his sword, and the crazed grin grew wider, as he finally got what he wanted: Spain angry.

…

"Tiago, I don't know _what's_ going on with you," White said, eyeing the thermometer, "but your body temperature is _way_ too low."

"But I don't _feel_ cold," Sao Tomé insisted.

"Then what _do_ you feel?"

He was silent for a moment, as though trying to figure out how best to tell her.

"Nauseous," he admitted. "A bit dizzy. My left ear hurts. Tired."

"Well, we'll need to do something about that body temperature of yours," she sighed. "Go take a nap, and I'll bring you some extra blankets. Two problems solved. The dizziness and the nausea _might_ recover with some hydration and rest. As for the earache… Do you want me to get you some eardrops?"

Sao Tomé smiled. There was a reason why White was Alvora's African leader. She made sure to take care of all of them.

Before he could respond to her question, a scream echoed through the base. No one hesitated, immediately running off to see what the source was, though Sao Tomé was forced to lean against the wall after a few paces. And then he had to go look for a bathroom.

…

Poland's opponents were Hungary and Jamaica, though it was mostly just Hungary fighting against him. Jamaica preferred to hang back, acting more as a support for when Hungary needed a moment to collect herself. Those moments were rare, but they still occurred, and Poland was denied an opportunity to recover as well.

As their blades locked yet again, he could actually hear Hungary giggle.

"Like, what's so funny?" he demanded.

"You're actually fighting me," she said. "Seriously. It's always so good to see."

Poland wasn't as impressed as she was, and pushed her back again, trying to be the one on the offensive, but she blocked the strike way too easily.

"And _why_ would you be so happy that I'm fighting you seriously?" Poland asked.

Hungary's smile widened, and Poland immediately went on his guard.

"You know, I really _was_ fond of you, Feliks," she said. "You were always so sweet. You were fun to be around with. But there was always one thing that baffled me. You were a good fighter, but you never really made an effort. We both know that some things would have never happened if you'd taken your battles more seriously."

She was talking about the partitions, Poland knew that. He could still remember Lithuania's face from that first time. His best friend. He knew that Lithuania would have been more worried about him than he would have been for himself, and Poland didn't want that. He didn't want Lithuania to ignore his own situation in favour of worrying over Poland's. So, he'd taken a risky gamble.

He tried to upset Lithuania.

Laughing in Lithuania's face when the other was scared and distraught was a pretty mean thing to do, but it was all for a greater purpose. Russia wanted Lithuania, and he wanted him alive. Poland, on the other hand… He didn't want Lithuania to miss him. To mourn him. Because with those first partitions, he was sure that he would have died. And he might have.

Alvora was what kept him alive.

The first partition hadn't been part of the plan. Hungary was wrong. He and Lithuania both gave it their all, but they lost. And so, they did what was necessary afterwards. If that meant they had to suffer, then so be it. If it meant that they would never have to suffer again, then they would gladly sacrifice a few years, decades, _centuries_ to the cause. The ends justified the means. And the end was far from near.

It was only the beginning of the end.

Poland's attention was brought back to the present when Hungary started laughing.

"Did they tell you what our files said about _you_?" Hungary asked. "What we wanted to do to you?"

The thought of it made him want to shudder. Yes, he knew what their plan had been for him, and just the reminder made him feel nauseous.

They had wanted to recruit him.

…

Rwanda, Burundi and Tanzania had taken it upon themselves to take care of Uganda. The former prisoner still had a blank stare, but every now and again they thought they saw a flash of recognition. A small reaction to what they were saying, and that gave them hope.

So when the screaming started, they were all unprepared.

"Damba, what's going on?" Rwanda demanded.

Uganda shook his head, his hands clutching it while tears streamed down his face. The others realised that he must have been fully conscious now, and figured that he must have remembered all of the horrors done to him by Requiem.

Several of the other nations had come to investigate, and they couldn't get Uganda to calm down. He eventually stopped screaming, but what replaced the screaming was equally, if not more, horrifying.

"They made me," Uganda cried. "They made me do it! They made me do it! They made me do it!"

"What did they make you do?" Burundi asked gently.

Uganda sobbed, clenching his eyes closed.

"Uganda…" Tunisia said softly, standing at the doorway.

Uganda's eyes snapped open, and they immediately fixed on Tunisia. The distressed nation pitched forward, emptying the contents of his stomach on the sofa. Everyone made sure to avoid looking at White's face, knowing that she wouldn't be too thrilled of having her furniture ruined.

"Tunisia…" Uganda whispered, raising his head. "I'm sorry. They made me do it. They made me…"

"I know," Tunisia said, cautiously stepping closer.

Everyone made room for Tunisia, curious to know what happened between them, but knowing that it wasn't the time to ask. Tunisia's hands were trembling, and he rested one of them on his torso. A few nations noticed this, and some of them seemed to understand the implications, for they all looked sick and horrified.

When Tunisia reached Uganda, the latter immediately wrapped his arms around the former's waist, sobbing frantically. Tunisia placed one arm around Uganda while stroking his head with the other. But he was still trembling slightly.

Central African Republic rounded on White, a look of fury in his eyes.

"You're the leader here, non?" he asked.

She nodded her head, a look of apprehension on her face.

"Requiem needs to be stopped," he announced. "I don't know about the rest of you, but my armies are yours to command. We can't let these… _creatures_ continue to _do_ this to us!"

There were cries of assent throughout the room. White closed her eyes, breathing deeply.

"I agree," she said. "We can't let this go on. We need to get a victory over Requiem. Even if they won't be able to feel it."

…

"You're a little desperate, aren't you?" Romania asked as he blocked Italy, before he had to duck from Bulgaria.

"Well, you _have_ been a headache," Italy said casually. "And headaches need to be dealt with in the best way possible."

Romania caught Bulgaria checking his watch, before he prepared for another strike. Romania blocked it and narrowed his eyes.

"I noticed that you don't seem to be putting in as much of an effort as you could have," Romania said. "Let me guess: You're stuck here until the hour's over too, am I right?"

Italy casually shrugged.

"It gives us ample time," he said. "And if one of us manages to defeat our opponents, we can go to help one of the others. That being said, we have plenty of time to kill."

"And plenty of potential victims," Romania remarked. "I'm surprised you haven't brought in more of Spain's former colonies for this little trap."

"In case you're wondering, your activities in the Washroom have _really_ started to annoy us," Italy said, all amusement gone.

"Is that why you decided on a brown note?" Romania asked.

Italy's expression darkened, and even Bulgaria decided that it was his cue to back up.

"How do you know about that?" Italy snarled.

"We've thought of the possibility of there being trouble," Romania said. "A combination of hypnosis, magic and mental training."

Italy's eyes widened when he seemed to realise that at least one of their intended victims had called to report this fact, and he lashed out in rage. Romania defended himself against all the strikes, but he couldn't help but glance towards Bulgaria, who was once again checking his watch.

…

The moment the group arrived in Canada, Serbia was immediately tackled by the nation. The others all watched the scene with some degree of amusement, though their exhaustion was evident also.

"Damjan!" Canada cried out. "Do you have _any_ idea how worried I was?"

Serbia smiled softly as he returned the younger nation's hug.

"I'm sorry," Serbia said softly.

"Next time you need to go somewhere, _don't leave a note_!" Canada scolded. "Take me with you!"

Serbia's hold tightened. After what happened, he wasn't so sure that he was going to let Canada anywhere near Requiem.

"Was it at least worth it?" Canada asked.

"Well, we managed to get Raj and Gil," Serbia said. "But…"

After a few seconds of hesitation, Canada pulled back, looking at Serbia carefully.

"What happened?" Canada asked. "Does it have something to do with that call?"

Serbia sighed, nodding his head.

"I'll explain later," he said. "For now… I need a bit of rest."

Canada nodded his head, before turning to the rest.

"What about you?" he asked. "Will you be staying a while?"

Haiti shook his head.

"We still need to get back to South Africa," he said. "Thankfully I already dropped off Akmal, Sierra and Abdul." Haiti yawned. "So tired…"

"You don't want to rest first?" Canada asked.

"I'm worried that, if I _do_ rest, I wouldn't have the strength to get back," Haiti said. "Besides, Tiago's waiting for me. I can't let him wait for too long."

…

Thailand gritted his teeth as Philippines's utak clashed with his krabi. She had a relaxed look on her face – one that _he_ would often wear – which only served to terrify him. She wasn't taking this battle seriously. He wasn't considered a threat to her.

"You know, I don't get why you don't just run away," Philippines remarked. "You're not a target, and you're not with Alvora. You can just decide to leave now."

"Sorry," Thailand said. "I can't do something like that. Not after all the things you've done."

Philippines rolled her eyes.

"Honestly, you sound like Brunei," she said.

"Brunei?" Thailand repeated. "What does _he_ have to do with this?"

"Oh, he accompanied Malaysia and his group when they invaded my territory. Apparently, he's a protectorate, but he was _so_ worried about Aminah…"

Thailand's eyes narrowed.

"What did you do to her?" he demanded.

"First, tell me if I should consider you a threat," Philippines countered.

Thailand was confused for a moment, before he recalled how… fond she was of Singapore. He quickly shook his head.

"We're _just_ friends," Thailand insisted. "And if I _did_ feel affection for her, then it would be as a little sister."

"Oh," Philippines said, brightening. "Okay then! And to answer your question… I would _never_ hurt Aminah. I love her! She just needs some convincing, though."

"So, you took her to be brainwashed."

"Nope. I wouldn't count brainwashing her as a victory. It would be _much_ more satisfying if she surrendered herself all on her own."

Thailand shuddered. He didn't think that Philippines truly understood what 'love' meant. It sounded too much like obsession. But he wasn't stupid enough to say it to her. He'd seen enough of Japan's anime to know where it would go.

…

Afghanistan listened to Lebanon and Jordan as they recounted their experience with Alvora, and what they had seen and heard. She felt a bit disgusted when she heard about the fate of the British counties. And those weren't the only ones that had been taken…

Oman and Yemen were also there, Oman watching her reactions, and Yemen curiously listening to the other two female nations. Afghanistan had to admit that he looked more relaxed than she'd ever seen him before.

After finishing their explanation, Afghanistan was quiet for several moments. She needed to think about all of this. As Oman said, this wasn't like it was done in the past. After mulling things over, she turned to Oman.

"If it can help me get Pakistan back," she said, "then I'm in."


	75. Chapter 74

**Thanks to AquaEclipse for reviewing.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 74**

Tibet was sitting across from Bangladesh, who was fidgeting desperately. Under normal circumstances, he would have dismissed this as Bangladesh not having experience with sitting still for so long, but these weren't normal circumstances. The fact that Bangladesh's hands kept going towards his ears made Tibet realise that.

When Bangladesh's hand was once again lifted, Tibet grabbed the wrist and lowered the hand to Bangladesh's lap, quickly grabbing the other one. Tibet was supposed to get Bangladesh's mind off of the current situation, and he was _trying_ to meditate with Bangladesh, but obviously, that had a few problems.

It didn't take them long to realise that Bangladesh's ears were healing, and something like this would _itch_. But nation or not, there was still the chance that trying to do something about the itching would only make things worse.

Tibet glanced towards the other two nations. He had decided to stay with Israel and India, who were working with the Hindu pantheon to remove the curse placed on India. He figured that they could use some moral support, and the fact that this was an abandoned temple actually made Tibet feel more relaxed. Being in the country where Buddhism originated was also a bonus.

"Sorry," Bangladesh whispered.

Tibet turned back to him, smiling reassuringly. It took a bit of trial and error, but they realised that Bangladesh wasn't able to hear them yet, though loud noises seemed to be painful for him. He himself could whisper, but attempting to communicate with him verbally was a wasted effort.

It was also for Bangladesh's sake that they remained there. Tibet had led them away from India's group, where they wouldn't be able to disturb each other. Not that India's group really got loud, to be honest. But there _was_ the occasional sound.

Everything was such a mess. Hopefully, balance would be restored soon.

…

France winced as he was pushed back by Venezuela. He was glad that he brought his rapier, especially considering the axe that Chile used and the staff used by Venezuela. It was strange that everyone from Requiem brought a close-range weapon with them.

"Not bad," Venezuela remarked. "For someone known for surrendering. I'm impressed you can hold your ground against the two of us."

France wasn't going to dignify that with a response. He knew that they were planning something. They didn't exactly look like the type who would compliment an enemy during a battle.

It was as Chile twisted that France saw it: tucked into the waistband of his jeans was a revolver. France only had enough time to take note of that fact before he had to block the next strike.

"You're awfully quiet today, France," Chile observed. "Where's all your flamboyance?"

France wryly smiled.

"I guess I'm not interested in conversation with two nations wishing to kill me," he said.

"Just like you, we're trapped here for an hour," Venezuela said, leaning against his staff. "Until that hour's up, you might as well indulge us. Or would you rather that we fight the whole time? Do you think your body can take it?"

France flinched at the question. _Would_ his body be able to take it? Three hundred years ago, he might have said it was possible. But now…

He wouldn't deceive himself and say that they were being kind. They were most likely just trying to keep themselves from getting bored.

"Alright," France said. "Say that I decide to indulge you. What would you want to talk about?"

Chile grinned.

"Tell us, what do you see in him?" he asked. "Spain, I mean."

France froze.

"What?" he whispered.

"We know you're together," Venezuela said. "We already know what Spain sees in _you_. Going out drinking with him had its perks, after all. But we want to know what _you_ see in _him_."

"I-I… How do you know we're together? What makes you say that?"

"We're smarter than you give us credit for," Chile said. "We can tell that something's changed between the two of you. It's not a falling out, which means that your relationship _improved_ , and the logical choice would be that you finally bridged the gap between friends and lovers."

France took a horrified step back. He could see the cunning in their eyes. They were predators, and they were eyeing him as though he was their prey. Which, considering who he was dealing with, could be quite literal.

"…I see," Venezuela said at last. "I always knew that you weren't as foolish as you come across. You _were_ a powerful empire once, after all, and you're still one of the strongest nations, at least outside of Requiem and Alvora. You have your suspicions, don't you?"

France took another cautious step back. He recalled how he was supposed to die the day that Requiem decided to make their presence known. He was supposed to die with England, Germany and the others, but he managed to escape that fate. And he remembered that Spain told him that Portugal informed him of Requiem's plans to use France against Spain.

"Our original intention with you was to taunt Spain," Chile said. "He would have lost you before he even had you. Kind of like Russia and Japan. But _this_ works out so much better."

"You see, there's a spell we've been _itching_ to try," Venezuela said. "One that only works if our target has a lover. And while we _could_ have used it on India, the truth is, we don't hate Israel as much as we hate Spain."

"Actually, to say that we hate Israel is a bit of a stretch. More like resent. He _was_ a potential recruit, after all."

"Too bad he was already with Alvora. Egypt was _so_ disappointed. He wanted someone that understood the toxic atmosphere that he has to live in."

"Speaking of which, when do you think he's going to remove the weeds?"

"It should be soon. I can't imagine he wants to live with _them_ for much longer."

France shifted his attention to where Spain was fighting Romano. He didn't know what happened, but Romano must have angered Spain enough for the older Mediterranean nation to attack with such fervour. But in this moment of distraction, both of the South Americans decided that they were finished talking, and simultaneously lunged at France. Feeling that the axe was the more worrisome weapon, he managed to block that, but was left defenceless to the staff.

France yelped as the staff managed to hit a pressure point, rendering his entire arm numb. But he didn't have time to waste: the second attack was coming.

He tried to defend himself as best he could, but with the two attacking in tandem, it was impossible. The axe was the clear threat, but the staff was doing a lot more damage.

Eventually, a particularly brutal hit from the staff made him lose his grip on the rapier, and a second later, Chile raised his axe again. He had no way of blocking the axe which was now on a direct course to his chest, and he screamed as the weapon made contact with his flesh, digging in deep.

France could feel the axe's blade pierce his heart, and when Chile pulled the axe out, France's knees gave out beneath him, first sending him to his knees, and then he completely fell on the ground.

As the blood was fleeing his body, he lamented that he couldn't have spent more time with Spain. They could have bridged the gap a long time ago, but fear held them back. And now, he knew that he would be killed. He was supposed to die when this all began, and now Requiem was cutting the loose thread.

Fate was cruel, but before he succumbed to the void, he heard words that were far crueller.

"Don't worry, France," Chile said. "We won't kill you _yet_. We've still got some games to play."

…

Portugal's eyes slid to the screen when his phone started to ring. Moldova was there with him, working on a crossword puzzle. He looked towards Portugal as he answered the phone.

"Please tell me you have good news," Portugal sighed.

"Not unless you consider bloodthirsty Africans as 'good news'," White responded.

"What happened?"

If they were upset with Alvora in any way, then they would have to deal with the situation.

"Well, Uganda recovered from his lobotomy," White explained. "Should have been good news, if it wasn't for the fact that he recovered screaming. And when the screaming stopped, he just kept muttering 'they made me do it'. And when Tunisia went to comfort him… Miguel, neither of them said it outright, but… I don't think Algeria's the only one that took a bite from Tunisia."

Portugal's stomach dropped, before tucking and rolling. He knew a bit about lobotomy, and knew that the victim tended to eat anything placed in front of them if it was presented as food, regardless of their hunger. If they presented Tunisia as food…

Portugal tried not to picture as to _how_ it could have happened. Instead, he knew that he needed to focus on the present situation.

"And… the Africans?" he asked, not quite seeing how the two problems were related.

"Let's just say, after everything they've seen and heard of Requiem, they've had enough," White sighed. "Everyone is in agreement that we need to put an end to them. At the very least, they want to send a message not to mess with Africa. They're angry and scared, Miguel. And trust me, that's not a good combination."

Portugal could understand that. He also knew that White was reaching her limit, and with the things that the other members had described…

"Do you have a strategy?" he asked.

"Wait… Are you okay with this?" White asked.

"Akmal and the others already asked if they would be allowed to capture a Requiem nation," Portugal explained. "Though the opportunity hasn't presented itself. They're equally worried about revenge. And I agree. Gilbert managed to contact me earlier…"

"So, he's okay? What about Raj?"

"…It's difficult. Gilbert reported that just before they were teleported out of the Washroom, Requiem played a brown note that locks its victims in a nightmare until they agree to follow Requiem. They had the help of the Hindu pantheon, so they managed to break free. Sammy also helped, though I'm surprised that he didn't tell you anything yet."

"Sammy? I'll check later. But, are they okay now?"

"Sim, or as okay as they can be. If you can think of a strategy, you'll have a lot of support for defeating Requiem."

White was silent for a moment, and Portugal waited patiently.

"…I think we need to eliminate Egypt," she said at last. "His magic makes him a nuisance, and he's personally responsible for a lot of grief. Themba going blind, Cape Town…"

As she was speaking, Portugal approached the map. He scrutinised it for a moment, trying to determine the best way to help her with her strategy.

"The problem is, from your side, Egypt's going to be the hardest to approach," he said. "He's given protection by Sudan and Libya, and while I'm sure you wouldn't mind taking down Libya, Sudan's hostile territory right now. The entire country is unpredictable, and that only makes me wonder what they're doing to him."

"I don't have a problem with going through Libya first," White said. "But Somalia, Eritrea and Ethiopia are also problems to deal with, and poor Djibouti is nestled between them. I'm afraid they might decide to retaliate, and she'd be the scapegoat."

Portugal turned his attention to the relevant portion on the map, and he nodded.

"I agree," he said. "We need to seriously incapacitate those three. With any luck, causing enough damage would seriously hurt them. But, are you sure you're willing to take that step?"

"They bombed my friends and I, they blinded my brother, they traumatised the brother of my brother's girlfriend, they tortured my friends… Miguel, how could you ask me that?"

"As long as you're sure. Hopefully, Antonio and the others managed to get the news to enough nations about what's going on. If they understand the type of people they are, then no one could fault us for attacking those nations. And on that note, do you think you could call the Dutchman and Adamastor to help?"

"I know Adamastor's been tormenting Greece, and I'm not sure about the captain, but since they're all coastal nations, with the exception of Ethiopia, they _should_ be able to help out. And I've made a new friend or two that I could ask as well."

"Make as many friends as possible. Tell the others to prepare. Get in touch with Akmal… Actually, call Gesang first. Akmal went to get Raj, and I'm not sure about his condition right now. Tell them about the plan. And I'm sure that David would appreciate getting even with Egypt as well. Oman and Yemen are also options, and I know that Oman went to recruit Afghanistan."

"Great! So, hopefully we have enough firepower to give Requiem a _really_ bad time."

After discussing things a bit more, Portugal hung up the phone. He sighed, shaking his head. He knew that it was contrary to how they wanted to do things, but Requiem was leaving them no choice. And they needed to be eliminated.

The ends justified the means, after all.

…

Bulgaria quickly glanced at his watch while Italy blocked a strike from Romania. It was almost time, though Chile and Venezuela had already disposed of France, and Chile had gone to engage Spain while Venezuela kept watch over France's body. Spain was truly berserk now, and he wondered how Romano would pull off his victory.

He took a few blows from Romania as well, and he was a bit disappointed that Romania wasn't in the mood to talk. He was probably over Bulgaria's 'betrayal', and didn't want to have anything to do with him at the moment. That was fine, actually.

When it was Italy's turn again, Bulgaria checked the time, and he smirked.

"Five minutes left!" he shouted for everyone to hear.

Romania jerked in surprise, and Italy grinned, attacking with earnest. While Romania's sword was locked with Italy's, Bulgaria slipped in behind Romania, removing a pistol. The weapon was loaded with bullets designed to kill a nation.

It was a shame that Romania wasn't interested in talking. It would have been his last chance.

As Bulgaria levelled the weapon, Romania seemed to realise what he was doing, and just when Bulgaria pulled the trigger, Romania attempted to pivot away. Romania cried out in pain when the bullet buried itself in his arm, and Bulgaria immediately pulled the trigger again, only for Romania to use his magic to create a shield, protecting him from the next bullet.

The bullet ricocheted and hit Italy, and Bulgaria immediately stopped in order to check on his leader.

"I'm sorry!" Bulgaria exclaimed. "Are you alright?"

Italy waved him off, glaring at Romania. Thankfully, the bullet hit him in the shoulder.

"You'll pay for that," Italy said.

…

Philippines smiled when she heard that time was nearing its end.

"Looks like playtime's over," she said, before she gracefully twirled.

She managed to slice Thailand across the neck, and while he was reeling from that injury, she stabbed him in the heart. She grinned as he was downed.

"Be glad we have other plans for you," she said.

…

China jumped when he heard the call of 'five more minutes', and he realised with a jolt that they've only been buying time. Greece smirked, before he really started to attack. There were no words to describe the terror China felt when his wok was split in two.

"Next time," Greece said, "you _might_ want to consider a more practical weapon. Of course, there's not really going to be a 'next time'."

China's eyes widened when Greece raised his weapon. China was too tired after nearly an hour fighting with someone who was clearly only toying with him. He couldn't run. He was going to die.

He pursed his lips. He had died many times before – temporarily, of course. He just needed to convince himself that it was one of those times.

Just as Greece prepared to bring down the weapon, he was knocked away. China's jaw dropped when he saw his rescuer.

…

While Poland was fighting, he saw Jamaica gesture to Hungary. She nodded, and the next time he struck, she blocked it, as usual, but then freed one of her hands to grab him by the wrist. He winced in discomfort as the sword dropped, and Jamaica grabbed his other wrist. The two then worked to force him onto his knees, despite his struggles. It could have been because of the small jolts of electricity that Jamaica sent out.

"Watch," Hungary instructed.

Poland looked up, and immediately froze. From his position, he could see Finland's fight with Denmark and New Zealand. And Finland had just been unarmed.

"TINO!" Poland shouted.

That might have been the wrong move. Finland turned his head ever so slightly, most likely in response to Poland's voice. And Denmark used that moment of distraction to his advantage as he brought down his axe.

"NO!" Poland screamed as Finland's head was separated from his body.

It was nothing compared to the scream he released when New Zealand raised a revolver, shooting Finland's body. It wasn't merely an insult to injury: Poland could no longer feel _any_ trace of Finland. It was as though Poland could sense that Finland's soul had departed, and he realised that the bullet used was one of Requiem's custom bullets.

"And now for the final step," Jamaica whispered as he moved his hand to Poland's head.

There was a piercing pain, and a fog descended over Poland's consciousness. The last thing he saw before he completely lost awareness was a dragon and a phoenix looking at him.

 **Well, I did say that I wanted to kill someone from Alvora.**


	76. Chapter 75

**Thanks to AquaEclipse, Ekfreet and Eternal Nexus Warrior for reviewing.**

 **And I'm sorry about the time, but I have some good news: My work folder is currently empty, and we don't have any major deadlines soon, so I can pay a bit more attention to my stories. Yay!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 75**

Romania flinched when he heard Poland's desperate screams. He kept his shield up while dealing with his two opponents, and he took the chance to see what was going on with his allies. He felt himself pale when he saw what happened to Finland, and that Poland had seen it happen.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Italy asked mockingly. "Well, at least we managed to succeed in _one_ area today."

"Bastards," Romania muttered, turning back to glare at them. "You think this is amusing?!"

"A little. But most importantly, it serves a purpose. Jamaica has the ability to shut the mind of his victims off. Think of it as an instant, hassle-free lobotomy. And while in that state, Poland can only recall the death of his beloved."

Romania felt a stab of cold horror. Knowing what _exactly_ they had just done…

He needed to get Poland out of there. He suspected that they weren't going to leave things like that. And besides, there was also the risk of…

He could feel a heavy aura coming from Poland's direction, and he knew that _it_ had been activated. Due to Poland's near-death experiences with the partitions, his soul had added an additional layer of protection, drawing power from the capital and the former capital. Warsaw, the phoenix city, and Kraków, with its dragon legend.

"Idiots," Romania muttered. "You have _no_ idea what you just did."

Italy and Bulgaria looked confused for a second, before a powerful shockwave nearly blasted them off their feet. Romania turned his attention back to Poland's location, and saw that his suspicions were confirmed: the dragon and phoenix resting in Poland's soul were unleashed, and unfortunately, they didn't know the difference between friend and foe.

"Shit," Romania muttered.

He would need to get to Poland. It was the only hope he had of calming the situation.

…

China stared at the person that rescued him, who calmly turned around to face him. He looked Asian, and China was almost inclined to say that he appeared to be Japanese. But, why would anyone or anything from Japan come to save him?

"Are you China?" the man asked.

He jerkily nodded his head. There was something about this man… China could tell that he was an immortal, but the type of immortality he possessed… It _couldn't_ be…

"W-what are you doing here?" China asked. "Who are you?"

The being cocked his head to the side, as though contemplating how to answer the two questions.

"Mie pointed me in your direction," he said. "It took a while, tracking you down, but it looks like it was just in time. It helps that your opponent has been dealing with someone similar in his own country. As for who I am… Call me Susanoo."

China's eyes widened in surprise. Susanoo-no-Mikoto, the Japanese god of sea and storms. And Mie sent him towards China. And the god had just saved him from Greece…

China swore that he would never complain about a deus ex machina again.

He was startled when he heard Greece chuckle, and both he and Susanoo turned to regard the European, who stood up from where he landed. His knees were a bit shaky, and China wondered how much force was used against him.

"Interesting," Greece said. "We have gods, Alvora has gods, and now _you_ have a god. Isn't this funny?"

China didn't like the insane smirk on Greece's face. It looked out of place on the nation that until recently had been known for his laid-back attitude.

"Why's it so funny?" China asked against his better judgement.

"The neo-pagan movement," Greece said. "Part of our goal is to restore that which had been taken from us by the two most dangerous cults that ever existed. More and more humans decided to go back to their cultural roots, before the invaders. And now look. I don't think the gods had been _this_ active since the days of the Ancients. But what do _you_ say, China? An ancient who has thrown his mythology away?" Greece's smirk fell a little, and his expression turned sad. "The irony is, if the gods had been as active then as they were today, then none of this mess would have happened. There wouldn't have been so many nations stripped of their individuality. If not for _them_ , then my mother would still be alive."

China felt as though he was looking at a vulnerable child. Part of him wanted to console Greece, even if the latter had been trying to kill him moments before. However, before he could say anything, a shockwave rolled through the area.

…

The moment Haiti and the others returned to the South African base, they all fell into the nearest piece of furniture. Haiti had been smart enough to transport them to one of the living rooms.

"Let's _not_ do that again anytime soon," Prussia said.

"Which part of you referring to?" Lithuania asked. "The rescue or the attempted brainwashing?"

" _Everything_. I do not want to do _anything_ from the last few days again."

Lithuania smiled softly, before he wrapped Prussia in a hug.

"I'm glad we managed to succeed," he said. "I don't know what I would have done if I'd lost you."

Prussia returned the hug, breathing deeply.

"You'll never lose me, Puppy," Prussia said. "I'm too awesome for that."

"Oh, you're back."

The moment was ruined by a sudden female voice, and all nations turned to the door, where Angola and Ecuador were standing. Both nations looked relieved as they scanned the group, eyes lingering on Prussia.

"Glad to see you're all safe," Ecuador said.

"Yeah," North Korea said. "With a lot of divine intervention. Which reminds me…" He turned his attention to Haiti. "I'm going to assume that the lao need some compensation."

Haiti winced, nodding his head.

"Oui," he said. "I'll have to ask Anika or Themba to take me out shopping."

"Um, Themba's out of commission," Angola said. "Long story short, Egypt is an asshole."

"And you'll have to ask Anika _very_ nicely if you want to make a request at the moment," Ecuador said. "She's a bit high-strung. Doesn't help that everyone _wants_ a war now."

Everyone stared at the two.

"I get the feeling I'm going to regret asking this," North Korea said. "But what happened?"

…

"W-what the _hell_ are those?" Hungary asked as she and Jamaica backed away.

"I don't know," Jamaica said. "But they look angry."

It had been sudden. They were still enjoying their victory when suddenly, Poland's body started to glow and vibrate, and then _these_ came out. Hungary recognised these creatures to be a dragon and a phoenix, but how or why they were there, she couldn't even _begin_ to offer an explanation.

Poland's prone body was in the centre of it all. The blond was facedown, but the two of them knew that he was very much alive. The creatures prevented them from getting close, and it almost seemed as though they were protecting him.

The two creatures focused their gazes on the two of them, and Hungary immediately knew what was about to happen. She grabbed Jamaica by the wrist and started running, just as the dragon unleashed its fiery breath on them.

Hungary cried out as the heat seared her back, but she was fortunate enough not to be hit by it directly. Jamaica was a bit behind her, and he cried out in pain as well. She knew that he wasn't as lucky as she was.

Belarus ran up to them, completely ignoring the bloody and battered Ukraine. Belarus gasped, warning the other two that another attack was incoming. Together, Belarus and Jamaica managed to raise a shield for their protection.

Their magic might have been weaker than Egypt or Ireland, but they were able to at least do _this_.

"What _are_ those things?" Hungary demanded again.

"I _could_ give you the obvious answer, but I know that would get me smacked," Jamaica said.

"…Does Poland have any dragon or phoenix legends?" Belarus asked.

Hungary took a moment to process the question.

"Yes," she said. "The Wawel dragon, which was part of his old capital's lore. And then Warsaw is called the 'phoenix city'."

"…I was afraid of that," Belarus said. "It's only a suspicion, but I think Poland's spirit created a protective layer."

"Meaning…?" Jamaica prompted.

"Poland's spirit created guardians, which manifested as _those_!" Belarus snapped. "I've heard of the _possibility_ of it, but I never thought that it could be a reality."

Some of the other Requiem nations approached, falling in behind the shield.

"I think it's time we leave," Italy remarked. "How much time left?"

Bulgaria checked his watch.

"I think we can go now," he said.

"Great," Italy said. "We need to get France, otherwise this whole thing would be a waste of time."

"Is that… Romania?" New Zealand asked.

Hungary could see him too. Romania was manoeuvring between the flames to reach Poland. The dragon was ignoring him in favour of focusing on the Requiem nations, but the phoenix looked poised to attack.

"…Let him distract them," Italy said, before turning to where Chile was still fighting Spain. "We also need to put Spain out of commission before we can take France. Because monsters or not, he's not going to let us go with his precious lover."

"Let me just go back to get Thailand," Philippines said. "We need more recruits."

"Allow _me_ to deal with Spain," Belarus said, withdrawing a few daggers.

…

"You're persistent, aren't you?" Chile asked as he blocked Spain's strike.

Spain didn't answer, in too much of a blind rage to really care about what was being said. France had been killed by the nation in front of him. He was not going to allow Chile to receive any mercy.

He didn't even realise that there were two fiery beasts nearby.

Spain cried out in pain when he felt something bury itself in his calf, and a second later another similar pain struck him on the other side. He looked down to see two daggers lodged in his legs.

Chile took that moment of distraction as an advantage, and used the handle of his axe to hit Spain's head. Spain cried out in pain as he was thrown to the side. It took him a few moments to recover, and when he did, he noticed that Chile was gone. And he noticed the two magical creatures.

"What?" he whispered.

He shook his head, looking around. He paled when he realised that he couldn't see France anymore.

"España!"

He turned to see Madrid running towards him, before she wrapped her arms around his neck. At least she was safe.

"W-what happened?" he asked.

"Don't know," Madrid said. "But Requiem's gone."

But they didn't leave empty-handed.

…

"What's going on with you two?" Scotland asked, hands on his hips.

It hadn't escaped his notice that Ireland and Wales had been trying to avoid each other. They tried not to look at each other, and when they were forced to speak to each other, then it was brief, almost cold. Northern Ireland had also picked up on it, but no matter how much either of them pried, they just couldn't find an answer to what was bothering their brothers.

"It's nothing," Ireland said, glancing towards Wales.

"Right," Wales said. "I guess we're just a bit stressed."

"Bullshit," Scotland said, glancing between the two of them. "Now, why don't you try that again, _without_ lying?"

Both of them narrowed their eyes, and surprisingly, the one that chose to stand up and walk away was Wales.

"I'm going to take a nap," Wales said. "Wake me when it's time for dinner."

Scotland clicked his tongue, and Ireland decided to leave as well. He wanted to go after them and demand an answer, but he could tell that this went beyond mere stubbornness. There was something serious going on between his two brothers, and neither of them would tell him or North _what_ it was.

It didn't help that he couldn't get in touch with France. It was as though the other was deliberately ignoring his calls. Was an update regarding the situation in the world too much to ask for?

There were too many people keeping secrets, and Scotland didn't like it. He just needed to figure out who the first person would be who he would take his anger out on.

…Not Wales, though, especially if the other was tired. Scotland didn't want to take that chance, because based on how annoyed Wales got, he might get angry if Scotland pushed him too much. And an angry Wales was almost as terrifying as a forcefully awoken Wales.

…

Romania managed to calm down Poland's soul, which in turn caused the dragon and phoenix to disappear. He almost collapsed right next to Poland, which wouldn't have helped much at this point in time. He looked around, and felt despaired when he realised that Requiem had left.

But he still had another set of nations to worry about.

He watched tiredly as China and Ukraine walked closer. He also saw Spain and Madrid somewhere behind them, and… Was that a deity?

"What _was_ that?" China demanded.

"Defence mechanism," Romania explained. "The partitions put Feliks in danger of dying, so his spirit created a method to protect him, by borrowing the legend of his old capital, and the title of his new capital."

"Is… Is he alright?" Ukraine asked, looking at Poland.

"He's asleep right now," Romania sighed. "And they lobotomised him. The reason why the defence mechanism was triggered is because he's mortal in this state."

"So… he can die?" China asked.

Romania nodded.

"He's been stripped of his nation status," Romania explained. "I don't know if it's permanent or not. But, if they used the same tactic on their own members, then it's safe to say that it's temporary. But, I have no idea what would happen if he wakes up."

By now, Spain and Madrid had joined them. Spain glanced down at Poland before fixing his gaze on Romania.

"They took Francis," he said. "Thailand's gone too."

"What?" China demanded, looking around. "What would they want with _him_?"

"My guess, they plan to 'recruit' him," Romania said distastefully. "Our latest mission to the Washroom turned out to be a success, for the most part."

"What mission?" China asked. "And what do you mean, for the most part?"

"Some of our own members were captured," Romania said. "We sent a few to rescue them, along with as many nations as possible. They managed to get Bangladesh and Tibet out. But they fell into a trap. I don't know what the status is _now_ , but… Let's just say, they were already angry with us."

China looked relieved upon hearing that Tibet was safe. Romania looked towards the direction where Finland's body dropped, and he pushed himself to his feet with some difficulty.

"I just… need to get Tino's body," Romania said, taking a shaky step forward. "Arrange… a proper burial."

He only managed a few steps before his knees buckled beneath him. China, who was probably the least injured person there, caught him.

"You're exhausted," China said. "You need to rest."

Romania shook his head. He didn't have time to rest. He needed to get to Finland's body. He needed to take him back home.

"…We can go to my house," Spain said. "I don't think Russia's going to be too happy if we come with Alvora nations."

"R-right," Ukraine said. "I'll call my brother and let him know."

"And… what about you?" Romania asked, looking at the deity. "Who _are_ you?"

"Susanoo-no-Mikoto," China said. "Japanese god of sea and storms. By the way, he said something about someone similar being in Greece?"

"Oh yeah. Anika sent Adamastor to torment Greece. Doesn't seem as though it's really bothering him."

"Adamastor is real?" Spain asked. "Wait, let's discuss this later. You said you wanted Finland's body, right? I'll go after that. And then I should probably tell Miguel about what happened."

Romania nodded his head. He was glad that he at least wasn't treated as an enemy at the moment. And he marvelled how all the magic he used could have drained him so much. Those were his last thoughts as he succumbed to oblivion.

…

Haiti approached White, who was in what looked to be an office. He paused when he saw that she had several maps out, and he realised that she was planning the attack on Requiem's African nations.

Angola and Ecuador had explained what happened with Uganda, and that it was the final straw for everyone. No one wanted to be attacked and tormented. They wanted to launch an attack for a change.

And Haiti didn't blame them.

"Agewe?" White asked upon noticing him. "What are you doing here?"

"I was wondering if it would be possible to take me shopping," Haiti said. "I asked the lao for help, and I need to give them proper compensation."

White seemed to know what he was referring to. The African nations had their fair share of traditional religions, and they knew all about spirits and summoning them, even if they didn't practice it themselves. Black was more knowledgeable with this matter than White.

She looked thoughtful for a moment, before nodding.

"I needed to go out anyway," she said, standing up. "I wouldn't mind taking you. Might I just suggest that Roberto come with us? I know he's pretty worried about me, and I don't want to worry him even more."

Haiti nodded. He'd searched for Sao Tomé earlier, only to find that his lover was in bed. Apparently, he was coming down with a cold or something. He would also need to buy ingredients for an herbal remedy for him.

"…By the way," White said, "how's Raj doing? And Gilbert?"

"Raj was cursed by Egypt," Haiti said. "He and David can't even touch each other. And he scrambled Gilbert's mind a bit."

White sent a cold glare towards the map.

"I hate that man," she spat.

 **Chapter 61 ends with someone approaching Mie. And I've been trying to figure out a way to add him for a while now. Deus ex machina, it would seem. Literally.**


	77. Chapter 76

**Thanks to AquaEclipse for reviewing.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 76**

Wales had gone to North Korea's location. He was only allowed a short period with him at a time, and after the day that just passed, he was glad to be holding North.

Just after leaving Scotland, Wales saw that North had sent him a message, informing him of his safe return. And upon his arrival, North had shared with him everything that transpired that day, including the nightmare that was forced upon him.

The Asian was currently sleeping, exhausted after the day's events. And knowing what had happened, Wales was more than thankful for being able to hold him, even if their time together would be brief.

His hold on North Korea tightened when he thought back to what the other described. All of the things that South Korea had done to him… done to Wales. North described being forced to watch as Wales was tortured. Unable to move. Unable to protest. Unable to help.

It scared Wales that he was the weapon the nightmare used against North. Realistically, he knew that they couldn't have programmed the nightmare to show that in particular, but he still felt incredibly angry with the content, and the pain it had caused North.

But another part of him felt a small flutter in his chest when he realised that North's greatest fear was having Wales suffer.

He also felt intense sorrow, knowing that one of his brothers was part of this group that was causing so much pain.

At least he could take some comfort in the knowledge that Ireland couldn't contribute much. Just like Wales couldn't. In hindsight, it was a good thing that North Korea had gone with the rescue group earlier that day. If he didn't, then there would have been no way to get in contact with Wales, who couldn't have sent his own deities to help.

They said that things happened for a reason, but Wales still had his doubts.

…

"You don't mind if I use your kitchen, do you?" China asked.

Truthfully, Spain was too upset to eat, but he couldn't let China and Ukraine suffer, so he shook his head. As soon as China left, he turned his attention to the bed.

Romania and Poland had been placed on the same bed, with Finland's corpse having been taken to another. Spain felt a bit of revulsion at the thought, and he turned his attention to Poland. He didn't need anyone to tell him what had happened. Poland saw his lover die. And Spain's lover had been taken.

He never felt a connection with Poland before, and he felt disgusted that _this_ was how they formed a connection.

Spain sighed, before turning his attention to Romania. He knew of the relationship Romania had with Spain's brother, and he felt responsible. Romania had been there because of Spain. It was only right that he should tell Portugal about what happened.

Steeling himself, he dialled his brother's number.

…

Portugal groaned when he heard his phone ring. After all of the bad news, he didn't want to hear any more.

He felt a bit hopeful when he saw that Spain was calling him. Hopefully it _was_ Spain, and not Requiem using Spain's phone to taunt him.

" _Please_ tell me that everything worked out alright," Portugal said.

"Um… I wouldn't say that," Spain said.

Portugal groaned when he heard that.

"Why don't you start with good news?" he asked. "I've been hearing bad news a lot lately."

"I thought your mission to the Washroom turned out well?" Spain enquired.

"It did, except that India is cursed, and now he can't touch Israel, which is bad, considering they're lovers who didn't see each other for a while, and to make things worse, one of them was sent footage of the other being tortured, _plus_ Requiem played a brown note when they were leaving, which means that it was something that struck them to the very core, and they needed the help of _gods_ just to get over it. So, even though they got out alright, not everything went fine."

"…Then you're _not_ going to like this. Well, good news is, I managed to find Madrid. Poor girl's been living on the streets all this time."

"Alright. So then, what went wrong? And why are _you_ reporting, now that I think about it? Where's Vlad and the others?"

"Well, Romania passed out, from exhaustion, I think. And Poland's also unconscious. Um… They took Thailand and… And Francis."

"Oh, Antonio, I'm sorry to hear that. I'll see if I can find out where they are."

"That's… not the worst news."

Portugal felt a wave of arctic cold crash over him, entering his veins.

"What's… the worst news?" he asked hesitantly.

"It's Finland," Spain said. "He… he was beheaded by Denmark. And then shot by New Zealand. Even _I_ can sense that… he's not coming back. And it freaked Poland out. He was forced to watch. And then something happened that caused a dragon and firebird to appear and – I didn't know that could happen! – and Romania said that… the state he's in right now… Poland's mortal."

Portugal couldn't feel the phone in his hand anymore. His fingers had gone numb. Finland… Finland was _dead_? And… what happened to Poland? How did they…?

"Miguel?" Spain asked.

"I… I need to…" Portugal stammered.

"…You really care about them, don't you?"

Tears brimmed in Portugal's eyes, and he released a sob.

"Tino was my friend," he said. "They _all_ are. They sacrificed so much for my dream, and… If not for me, then Tino…"

"Hermano… I've seen and heard a fair deal about your loyalty to each other, and I can hear how choked up you are. You care about your comrades. They're more than just your allies. I don't think… I've ever heard of nations with a bond like yours. So… If it somehow helps you with your final goal, then… I don't think Finland would have blamed you. Besides, shouldn't you be focusing on getting even with Requiem?"

Portugal took a shaky breath, nodding his head, more to himself than Spain.

"Y-you're right," he said. "The African nations are planning to attack Requiem's African nations… So, please, no interference. The entire continent is angry with Requiem, and believe me, you don't want to get in the way of the Africans when they're truly angry."

"Did something happen?" Spain asked.

"Uganda was rescued from the Washroom a few days ago, but he was lobotomised. He recovered, but… Turns out, Requiem forced him to cannibalise Tunisia."

"W-what?"

"Uganda is _horrified_ , and Tunisia is traumatised by everything Requiem's done to him. They used him as a guinea pig to see how their 'recruiting' is going, and he was also cannibalised by his own sister."

"That… What demon possessed Ita and Roma? I can't…?"

"I'm sorry to say that, but humans have done a lot more damage without the influence of demons than _with_ their influence, and the same holds true for nations. Everything that's happened is their own doing. And that's why it's important to deal with them, once and for all."

"…Romania said something about giving Finland a proper burial, but… that's going to be a bit tricky."

"Why? What's wrong?"

"Well… It looks like… they took Finland's head with them."

…

"So, where are we?" Haiti asked, pulling his shopping bags closer to him while stifling a yawn.

"Howick Falls," White responded, a bit distractedly as she walked closer.

Haiti had been rather lucky. Some of the more common items that he needed were acquired at a simple supermarket, while the more obscure items had to be obtained at a _muti_ shop. The human had at first been unwilling to serve them, though his reaction was funny when he realised that this white woman knew what she was talking about. The human had become a _lot_ more compliant when White lost her temper and summoned Pinky Pinky, a tokoloshe that White had recently befriended. They even managed to get a discount out of him.

Brazil was also with them, throwing concerned looks towards White every now and again. Haiti could understand what had the other male so concerned. White had exhausted herself the previous day by altering her country, and now she was transporting her and other nations to other parts of her country. Haiti was in the mood to scold her himself for taking on so many things in such a short time.

"What exactly are we doing here?" Haiti asked.

"The inkanyamba," was White's response.

The way she said it told Haiti that it had something to do with the mythology of South Africa. Well, it would be nice to see, anyway. For some strange reason, Black and White tended to be quiet about things like that.

Well, except for when Black proved that he was afraid of cats. White eventually got annoyed enough that she locked Black in a room with kittens. The reason for that was because of some superstition that cats carried the spirits of the ancestors. And when even the other Africans scolded Black on his silly attitude, he decided to calm down a bit, and allowed White to show him that cats were not to be feared.

In hindsight, it was perhaps fortunate that Requiem didn't know of the phobia. Greece would _especially_ not have been good news for Black.

The three came to a stop at the water's edge, and Haiti turned to White expectantly. He was curious to see what she would do with her new power, or at least, the newly-clarified power. He wanted to know how she would make friends with… whatever it was.

She didn't even have to do or say anything. Something burst out from behind the waterfall, looking like a snake with a horse-like head. Haiti tried not to stare too hard at the creature as it came to a stop in front of White, allowing her to stroke its head.

"That's a good boy," she cooed. "Do you mind helping me out a bit?"

…

Switzerland looked up from his book, nodding his head in greeting to Jamaica before he turned his attention to Denmark. His eyes flitted to what was in Denmark's hand.

…It was a good thing they weren't at Switzerland's house.

"I'm going to assume that all went well," Switzerland remarked as he stood.

"You better go gussy up," Denmark said, smirking. "I'm taking you out on the town. Tonight, we'll dine like kings."

"Is that _all_?" Switzerland asked, raising an eyebrow.

Denmark pulled him closer, wrapping one arm around him.

"Oh, we can do _much_ more," Denmark said.

"Ugh," Jamaica groaned. "If you're going to be like that, at least wait until I've left."

"Well, why are you still here?" Denmark quipped.

"Because unfortunately, using magic that's stronger than what I usually use is exhausting, and I need to take a few moments to recover before I can do anything else."

Switzerland and Denmark smirked in amusement, before a thought seemed to occur to Denmark.

"By the way, do you think that Norge was stupid enough to try to escape with magic yet?" Denmark asked.

Switzerland felt a small stab of annoyance at the 'affectionate nickname' for the nation whom his lover had pretended to adore above all others.

"I'm not sure," Switzerland said. "I think a part of him still thinks that this is like all of the conquests of the past. Same with Sweden."

Denmark chuckled.

"They're going to be severely disappointed," he said. "Speaking of which, I have to make a delivery."

Switzerland watched as Denmark left the room, before he turned to Jamaica, who collapsed into a nearby chair.

"Can I get you anything?" Switzerland asked. "Tea, coffee…?"

"Coffee would be nice," Jamaica said. "Thank you."

…

Norway and Sweden looked up when they heard footsteps approaching. They were too heavy to be Switzerland, so they assumed that the footsteps belonged to Denmark.

Norway narrowed his eyes. What could that traitor want _now_?

Denmark stepped into view, grinning broadly while hiding something behind his back.

"Good evening, you two," he greeted. "I got you a little souvenir from my excursion. I hope you like it."

Norway was confused as Denmark reached through the bars, throwing something on the floor. Norway turned to see what the object was, and immediately recoiled in horrified disgust.

"T-Tino?!" he stuttered.

Finland's head was staring at him, and Sweden lost his usual stoic demeanour as he turned to the bars.

"What the hell?!" Sweden demanded. "What's the point of this?! What is _wrong_ with you?!"

Denmark smirked, whether it was the situation or Sweden's reaction that amused him, Norway wasn't sure.

"Consider this a warning," he said. "Neither of you are going to escape from me _this_ time. And if you try…" He glanced at the head in the middle of the cell. "Well, I think you get the picture."

Denmark turned around and walked away, his goal of crushing their hopes completed. Norway couldn't tear his eyes away from Finland's head. The other's eyes were staring at him. He didn't know what emotion was frozen, but he didn't like seeing it in Finland's eyes.

"We shouldn't surrender," Sweden said. "We can't let him win."

Norway didn't know if he had the strength to hold on.

…

A scream echoed through the compound, and everyone went running. They found Mozambique in the kitchen, hand pressed over her mouth as tears streamed down her cheeks. Kenya was on the ground, holding onto a phone. Those who knew the two nations well recognised the phone as Mozambique's.

"Theresa," Colombia said, approaching her lover. "What's going on? What happened?"

"M-Miguel," Kenya stammered. "He… he sent a message. Didn't you get it?"

The Alvoran nations removed their own phones, and screams and cries of horror and fury echoed through the kitchen.

"What's going on?" Netherlands asked, head darting around.

"It… It's Tino," Ecuador said. "He… He's dead. Requiem killed one of our own."

By now, everyone was aware of Alvora's loyalty to one another. And so, they realised that this was a real blow to all of them. And it caused the other nations to feel a rush of despair. No one was safe, it would seem.

All the more reason to get rid of Requiem.

…

"Shit," Turkey said, staring at the phone screen. "Requiem took France and Thailand."

Saudi Arabia looked up, taking a moment to swallow his dinner before he could speak.

"What do you think they want with them?" he asked.

"Does it matter?" Turkey asked. "Based on what we know about them…"

Saudi nodded his head. No matter their intentions, it couldn't be good.

…

Russia was outside, pacing. He had chosen to go outside to calm his nerves. The fresh air of a country that wasn't trapped in a near-permanent state of winter tended to help.

France was taken. Not killed, but taken. It wasn't just concerning because he was a strong nation, but also because they were currently in _his_ country.

It was only a matter of time before Requiem's influence could be felt in the country of France. And what would that mean for the rest of them? The fact of the matter was, they needed to find another place to go.

But _where_?

He wasn't going to fool himself into believing that any of the others would be willing to go to his house. He especially didn't want Latvia and Taiwan there in their current states. The fact that they were sleepers made him want to add as much distance between him and them as possible, at least until they could figure out a way to counter all of this.

He took a moment to consider France's geography. Out of all of France's neighbours, Spain was the only available option. And he also didn't feel comfortable with staying in a country that was such a high risk. Preferably, he would like to add as much distance as possible. Thinking about all of the nations involved, he would have to say…

"If you're trying to make a decision, might I request that you consult the rest of us?"

Russia whipped around, seeing Estonia standing there. The smaller nation had been given a pair of France's reading glasses, at least until he could get a proper replacement. There were several small cuts surrounding Estonia's eyes, and Russia supposed that the other should consider himself lucky that none of the shards had pierced his eyes.

"Pardon?" Russia asked.

Estonia sighed.

"There was a report from the others, wasn't there?" he asked. "And something about the report bothered you a lot. Now, do you mind sharing with the rest of us? And could you consult us with the decisions you want to make? You yourself were mad when Spain sent Andorra to Alvora without consulting us. And… I just realised how similar those words are…"

Russia sighed, before he thought about it. Perhaps… it _would_ be best to consult the others. At least then, he wouldn't have to deal with many unhappy nations. That wasn't something they could afford now.

Nodding his head, he followed Estonia inside the house.

…

Australia sighed in relief. Finally, his plane was touching down. This was why he didn't like going to Europe: too bloody long.

Now, he had to go back and tell the others about New Zealand. When he called earlier, they appeared to be alright. Hopefully, they remained small targets, and Requiem didn't want to waste their time with them.

Hopefully.

…

Egypt stared out of the window. He had noticed it earlier, but his gods could use help. And he had the perfect idea on how to help them. They were like him in a sense. They drew power from the country. The people. And it would help if there weren't so many people who followed a different path.

He closed his eyes, focusing on his people. He could sense all of them. Some of them had returned to the old ways. And some of them were children who could easily be influenced. He turned his attention away from them. They were the useful portion of the population. He had faith that the adults of the group would allow the children to return to the right path.

He focused all of his attention on the _others_ : the descendants of those that destroyed him. And, one by one, he allowed their lights to be snuffed out.

 **I've been wanting to write Egypt's scene for a while now, but I keep running out of space.**

 **Black's fear of cats was inspired by my father's interactions with his black colleagues. The courthouse where he works attracted a colony of cats, and my dad's been feeding them. Some of his colleagues are astounded by all of this, especially how some of the cats would open up to them. But they would jump whenever a cat comes in their direction, or when they see a cat nearby. There's apparently a superstition regarding cats in the tribal traditions. My dad once grew annoyed at the way one woman reacted, and asked her if she was an educated woman, or someone living in the** _ **bundu's**_ **(wilderness, basically). After he put it in perspective, she felt a bit ashamed for the way she acted around a cat.**

 **My dad has actually used the wildlife around the courthouse a few times. One time there was a mouse in the courtroom, and everyone was staring at it as it moved, and he made a comment about snakes… That case was handled** _ **very**_ **quickly. My dad's actually the person I inherited my sadistic tendencies from.**

 _ **Muti**_ **shops are basically where you would be able to buy traditional 'medicine'. Basically, if you need a witchdoctor, you go to them. There's actually a shop like that right next to the mechanic. The irony is strong there.**


	78. Chapter 77

**Thanks to AquaEclipse for reviewing. We passed the 150-review mark. Thank you.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 77**

"Alright," Haiti said. "Where are we _now_?"

"Richtersveld," White said casually.

Brazil shuddered when he heard that. White had taken the three of them to a cave, and the only light source was her flashlight. If she was thinking what he thought she was thinking…

Brazil caught her drinking some sort of dark fluid in a water bottle, and he had a suspicion that he knew what it was. He looked towards Haiti, who appeared to be fighting off his own exhaustion.

"You okay?" Brazil asked.

"Oui," Haiti said. "I guess the day was longer than I thought."

White handed the bottle to him, which confirmed Brazil's suspicions. He glared at White.

"Energy drinks?" he demanded. " _Why_ did you decide to do this if you _know_ you're going to need something like this?"

"Because I don't want anyone else to be a victim of Requiem," White said. "We need to deal with them, before they hurt anyone else. The ends justify the means."

Brazil shook his head. She was right, of course. He still wished that she didn't place herself in situations which ended up using more energy than she had. At least she hadn't put herself in any real danger yet.

However, considering where they were, that might change soon.

Brazil stopped when he heard something. It sounded like large feet, accompanied by something large _slithering_ , and he was sure he could hear faint trumpeting sounds. White moved on, though she seemed to walk with a greater sense of purpose.

"Do _you_ have any idea what we're looking for?" Haiti whispered to Brazil.

"I have a theory," Brazil whispered back. "I just hope she knows what she's doing."

White held out a hand, and the other two stopped. She flickered the flashlight a few times, and Brazil could _definitely_ hear the sound of movement coming closer. There was a turn ahead of them, and from that turn…

"W-what is _that_?" Haiti stammered.

Brazil was right in his suspicion. He knew enough about the grootslang to know what to expect, but actually _seeing_ it…

He never thought he'd get to see what would happen if a snake and an elephant had a baby together.

Haiti and Brazil remained silent as they allowed White to try to tame the beast. They both instinctively knew that this was a _very_ dangerous creature, and any distraction could be deadly. But Brazil could definitely see why White would consider this creature. It would _definitely_ give them an advantage over Requiem.

…

"So, what's the latest news?" Vietnam asked.

Everyone was looking expectantly at Russia, who was the one to receive the call from Ukraine. Of course, everyone wanted to know about the fates of their comrades, and the fact that he immediately had to step outside after hearing the news didn't help ease their nerves.

Russia sighed, trying to find the place to start. As his eyes scanned the room, they fell on Taiwan, and then Latvia, and he remembered something else that Ukraine told him.

"Latvia, Taiwan, I would need to confiscate your phones," he said.

"W-what?" Taiwan demanded. " _Why_?"

"They apparently admitted that part of your conditioning is to always answer your phones if _they_ call, and you won't remember the conversation. They've specifically used _you_ to spy on us."

Taiwan turned pale, but she still shook her head in denial.

"I-it can't be," she said. "They… they were lying! They were trying to… to…"

"To cause distrust among us?" Laos suggested.

"Yes! Exactly!"

"Well…" Estonia said. "There _is_ a way to find out for sure. Taiwan, could you please open your phone's call log to the received calls?"

Taiwan nodded her head, her eyes widening in understanding. Latvia checked his phone too, but only Taiwan grew horrified by the contents of the screen.

"South Korea…" she whispered. "He… He called me a few times recently, but… I don't remember getting _any_ calls from him."

There was silence for a long moment. Latvia swallowed thickly, before he handed his phone to Russia. Taiwan followed him a few seconds later.

"Does this mean they know about everything we've been up to?" Vietnam asked.

"It's a strong possibility," Russia said. "Ukraine says that they knew how many of them were going, but she said that some of the things they said were confusing. They were also prepared for Alvora."

"You don't think they have a spy among _their_ ranks, do you?" Hong Kong asked.

"No, I don't think that's the case," Laos said. "Bangladesh and the others were concerned about Bhutan, and that he seemed to know that something was wrong with Tibet. I think… Bhutan's latent prophetic abilities might have manifested, and Requiem's taking advantage of it."

"Are you sure?" Cambodia asked.

"I'll admit, I'm mostly guessing, but I think that might be the case. Nepal was with them when this all happened."

"We should probably warn Turkey and Australia," Vietnam said. "If they know about our movements, then they'd know what they're doing as well."

"I just got a message from Australia," Hong Kong said. "His plane arrived safely, and he's going home to the others now. He said that when he called to tell them, everything still seemed fine."

"And Turkey informed me that they had already told everyone about what's going on," Russia said. "They seemed safe as well."

"Alright, so let's go on to the main topic," Vietnam said. "Your pacing, for starters."

Russia nodded.

"France and Thailand were taken by Requiem," he said.

"W-what?!" Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos demanded.

Their reactions were understandable. They all had historic connections to France, and Thailand was their friend. To learn that those two were captured…

"France's capture is especially concerning," Russia said.

"Why?!" Taiwan, who was also close to Thailand, demanded. "Because he's an important nation?!"

"Because that's where we are. We're officially in enemy territory."

Everyone was silent as the implications sunk in. Estonia cleared his throat.

"We… have to evacuate, don't we?" he asked.

Russia turned to Estonia. He knew that what he was going to say would especially be hard on him, betrayal or not. And Russia wasn't so cruel that he wanted to say it bluntly, but he didn't know how to break the news. And he _needed_ to break the news.

"There's more," Taiwan said. "Isn't there?"

Russia nodded, closing his eyes.

"Estonia, sit down," he said.

"What?" Estonia asked. "Why?"

"Because I know how close you two were."

"W-what do you…?"

"It's Finland. He's dead. Killed by Denmark and New Zealand. And he's not coming back."

Russia opened his eyes. Estonia looked pained, and his knees buckled, as Russia predicted. He leaned against the nearest person, which was Cambodia, who immediately tried to get him to take a seat.

"W-what?" Estonia whispered. "How…? How could it have…? T-Tino…"

Russia sighed.

"I'm sorry, comrade," he said. "I didn't know how else to tell you."

Estonia mutely nodded. Latvia wrapped a comforting arm around Estonia, who quickly pushed the glasses up, most likely to wipe away the tears.

"But, to answer your question," Russia said, "I think that it's best to leave. I do not feel comfortable with staying in a country that I know is being controlled by the enemy."

"I agree," Mongolia said. "I think our first priority should be to find another place to go, and warn the others not to come here."

"Now the problem is simply _where_ to go," Russia said. "The closest safe nation is Spain, but he's also in the middle of both groups. I don't want to take any chances."

"Well…" Mongolia said, "there _is_ always Asia. It doesn't look like they're very active there. Yet. Or we could always ask Australia if we can go there."

"He also has the other islands to take care of," Vietnam pointed out.

"She's right," Hong Kong said. "Australia has to take care of the other island nations first."

"What about Belgium or Luxembourg?" Cambodia asked. "They're also France's neighbours. And what about Monaco?"

"Monaco wouldn't be very safe, as she's very small," Russia said. "We should probably tell her to go somewhere else, of course. And as for Belgium and Luxembourg… France told me before they left that he managed to get in contact with Netherlands, who revealed that his siblings were with him, but he couldn't tell France _where_ they are, or what they were doing. I think…"

"They might be under Alvoran control," Mongolia finished. "Wait, let me check something."

They waited silently as Mongolia was busy on his phone. Eventually he nodded his head, pocketing his phone.

"Not only is Netherlands still providing aid to Cape Town," Mongolia said, "but he and his siblings are among the only Europeans who have access to the Africans."

"Which means that those countries are also too risky to go to," Russia said. "Spain's place is still the closest, safest place, but it's still too dangerous."

"Well, we need to get out of France first," Vietnam said. "You're right, we can't stay here. The others are in Spain, and we should probably meet up with them before we decide anything else."

Russia nodded his head.

"Turkey and Saudi Arabia should also be informed about everything," Russia said.

"We could also consider their countries as possible bases," Vietnam pointed out.

"I'm just a bit worried about Egypt and Israel being close to there," Russia said. "But da, they can be possible choices for a base."

"Well, if we're leaving for Spain," Cambodia said, "then I think we should do it soon. The longer we wait, the greater the chance that something might happen."

"Agreed."

…

"…I just don't have the heart, you know?" Príncipe said.

He and Equatorial Guinea were standing in the doorway of Prussia and Lithuania's room, watching as the two lovers slept side by side. It was obviously a long and stressful few days, and the two were exhausted, but happy that they could be next to each other again. They hadn't reacted to Mozambique's horrified scream, and that was also why they were there. Obviously, these two didn't know about what had happened to Finland.

And neither nation had the heart to inform them of what happened. At least, they didn't have the heart to wake them up to deliver the news.

They were especially worried about Prussia, and what he might have been forced to endure. They knew he needed his rest. They were just afraid of his reaction when he found out. Again, they had no idea what Requiem had done to him. For all they knew, it could have been something that completely altered how his brain worked, and he might do something that could end up hurting himself. Or those around him.

All things considered, it might be best to wait until he had rested. If there _was_ something done to him, then having him being well-rested would at least make the more irrational part of his mind quiet down.

…

DR sighed in relief. In the end, the best method he could have used to convince the others to leave for safety was to tell them the truth. He'd told them that Spain called to tell him of the danger, and after a bit of effort, they'd found that Jamaica wasn't in the country anymore.

A nation could sense another nation in their land, particularly if that other nation had been there for a while, or if the nation was aware of the other nation's presence. It could also work in reverse. A nation could sense the presence of the nation whose country they were in, but only if they were within the borders of their country. Which they found Jamaica _wasn't_.

That was enough for them to realise that something suspicious was going on. There was no logical reason why Jamaica would leave his country without telling them. And when DR mentioned that Spain said that Jamaica was part of the group responsible for the deaths of Germany and the others, they _immediately_ decided that they needed to go somewhere safe.

Spain.

Since he was the one that warned them of the danger, they figured that he wouldn't mind if they went to seek refuge with him. Though a few of them weren't too happy to be going to Spain, they all figured that it was still a better idea than remaining in the territory of a nation that might be a danger to all of them.

And then there was still the matter of Haiti…

…

"Get some sleep," Vishnu instructed. "That curse is more complicated than anticipated."

India felt a wave of despair as he realised that the gods were having trouble with a curse. Just how much power did Egypt have?

"I'm sorry," India said. "This would have never happened if I hadn't been captured."

"It's not _your_ fault," Israel said. "I should have been there with you. You _told_ me that you would be going up against an enemy, and I wasn't there. I should have insisted that I go with you."

India shook his head, but before he could tell Israel anything to soothe his mind, Nidra approached, looking annoyed.

"That friend of yours has been put in a motionless sleep," she announced. "I can't believe that a pair of _ears_ could cause so much trouble."

India couldn't help it. He burst out laughing. The idea of divine intervention being necessary for the sole purpose of allowing someone's _ears_ time to heal without potentially damaging them further was absurd, and also a relief. The fact that _this_ was a priority told him that he was safe.

Nidra looked offended at his reaction for a moment, before her face softened.

"It's time for you to sleep as well," she said. "Raj, you especially need time to rest and recuperate. If you want, I can make things easier."

India felt a pang of regret as he turned to look at Israel. The curse meant that they couldn't even hold each other as they slept, and India so desperately wanted to feel Israel's warmth. After everything he'd been through, he just wanted a chance to bask in the glory that was his lover's touch.

Based on the longing look he sent towards him, Israel was thinking the same thing.

"It might be a good idea," Israel said. "I don't want you to suffer through any nightmares. And after what I'd seen, there's bound to be a few of them."

India's heart soared when he heard Israel's words. It felt so nice to be cared for. To have your needs be someone's priority. That was something that few nations really felt. Loyalties changed, and things turned sour. That was why he loved being a member of Alvora. They allowed him to experience what he normally never would have.

"Alright," India said. "Would you at least sleep near me?"

"Of course," Israel said. "Let me just check to see if there are any messages from the others. I'm sure Miguel especially would want to hear from us personally."

India nodded his head, lying down. It wasn't the first time he had to sleep on a hard surface, but compared to the chair he had been bound to, this was heaven. He closed his eyes, but opened them again when he heard Israel's sigh of frustration.

"What's wrong?" India asked.

"Battery's dead," Israel explained. "Hopefully no one tried to contact us. Can you imagine how worried they'd be, especially after everything Requiem's done?"

India shrugged.

"I don't think they'd be _too_ worried," he said. "After all, the others would have given a progress report by now."

Israel was motionless for a moment, before he nodded.

"You're probably right," Israel said. "We should probably go find civilisation tomorrow, at least to get this thing charged. And we'll probably need to get something to eat."

India nodded his head. To be honest, he hadn't really been thinking about food. He was in too much pain and too exhausted. Perhaps it would be better the following day.

He closed his eyes, making sure that Israel's face was the last thing he saw before drifting off to sleep.

…

Portugal had made himself a cup of tea, and was sipping from the cup when his phone rang. After all of the bad news he'd been receiving, that sound was quickly becoming the thing he hated most.

And when he saw _who_ was calling him, he _really_ started to think that it was a bad day.

"What do _you_ want?" he snarled.

"Oh, I see you've found out about Finland," Romano said. "Then perhaps you'd be willing to listen to me."

Portugal scowled.

"And what is it you want?" he demanded.

"I'm proposing a truce," Romano said. "Give your group time to grieve and all of that. A week where neither of us attacks each other. What do you say?"

Portugal narrowed his eyes.

"You're just afraid that we'll retaliate for what you've done," he said. "Give me _one_ good reason why I should accept your truce."

"How's the group that escaped the Washroom?" Romano asked. "Even if they managed to escape Lullaby, they would still feel side-effects."

Portugal's breath hitched. Of course, several of his comrades were still recovering after Requiem's brown note. And while a few of them were itching for a fight, they still needed time for them to be ready.

This would also give the Africans ample time to prepare for their attacks. But he still needed to make arrangements.

"And what guarantees do I have?" he asked.

"No one from Requiem will attack a member from Alvora, and vice versa," Romano said. "A penalty if the truce is broken. For example, how fond are you of Padrão dos Descobrimentos?"

Portugal felt his blood run cold. They might have learned how to prevent the damage done to their countries to affect them, but there were still effects if a national monument was damaged.

"Alright," Portugal sighed. "I agree to the truce. But if _you_ break it, then expect a nasty surprise to hit the Colosseum."

Considering the role the Roman Empire played in the creation of Requiem, there was a chance that damaging their grandfather's pride and joy would _severely_ bother them.

"Fine," Romano said, not hiding his disdain. "Deal."

 **One of my colleagues has a bit of an addiction to energy drinks. She drinks it like most people would drink water, and she even drinks it** _ **instead**_ **of water. Or at least she used to. She recently got shingles, and she has to cut caffeine out of her diet. She is** _ **extremely**_ **frustrated with the arrangement, and has started experimenting with tea.**

 **The grootslang (literally 'big snake') is a cryptid that apparently exists in South Africa. It was featured on** _ **The Secret Saturdays**_ **, but is traditionally thought of to be part elephant, part snake. And is considered extremely dangerous.**


	79. Chapter 78

**Thanks to Eternal Nexus Warrior and AquaEclipse for reviewing.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 78**

"What do you mean, there's a truce?!" White demanded.

The moment White and the other two arrived back at the base, White saw that there was a message from Portugal, requesting a call with all of the members present and the phone on speakerphone. After getting everyone together, with the exception of those that were exhausted after the rescue earlier that day, White called Portugal. Haiti, despite being exhausted himself, decided that he would sit through this meeting as well.

And the first thing Portugal announced was that Romano had called for a truce.

"I'm sorry Miguel," Mozambique said, "but that is something we _cannot_ do. Especially after what they did to Tino."

"What's this about Tino?" White asked.

There was an awkward silence.

"You mean, you don't _know_?" Angola asked. "Didn't you check your messages?"

"I didn't check any of the group messages," White admitted. "Especially when I saw _how many_ there were."

"But… when the first message came?"

"First, tell me, how many of your countries have cell phone reception in a cave, in an area known for the traditional people living there?"

Silence again.

"Fair point," Ecuador sighed. "The thing is… They murdered Tino."

White, Brazil and Haiti were horrified to hear this, and they expressed their horror in different ways. The sound of Portugal clearing his throat brought their attentions back to the phone.

"Now that everyone is on the same page," Portugal said. "There are two reasons why I decided to agree to the truce. The first reason is because we'll need to properly bury Tino. We're given a chance to do it in peace."

"Alright," Haiti said. "That's fair. What's the second reason?"

"To give you time to prepare for your attack. They don't attack us, we don't attack them, but once the truce ends, all bets are off. We don't want to rush things, and a week would be sufficient enough to allow you to put your preparations in place, especially if you're going to work with humans."

White sighed, shaking her head.

"I guess those are… valid reasons," she said. "So, when should we have Tino's funeral?"

"The day after tomorrow, I think," Portugal responded. "We'll need to get his corpse back from Spain. Vlad and Feliks are still there, but… Sounds like they did something to Feliks. I don't know much. Antonio's the one who explained, since both Vlad _and_ Feliks passed out."

"We'll have to wait for Vlad to wake up and share his side of the story," White sighed. "In other news, I managed to recruit the inkenyamba and the grootslang for our attack against Requiem."

"How the hell did you manage _that_?" Mozambique demanded.

"I'd rather not think back on it," Brazil said. "That thing was _really_ creepy."

"Which one are you referring to?" Haiti asked.

"The grootslang especially."

"But if they can help us against Requiem, then it's worth it," White said. "The end justifies the means."

"Exactly," Portugal said. "Well, looks like the worst is over, at least for tonight. Good night, and good luck with your preparations."

…

When Australia returned to the house, he was surprised when he felt arms encircle his waist. When he looked down, he saw that it was Kiribati.

"Aulani?" Australia asked. "What's wrong?"

"You went with New Zealand," she muttered. "I was worried that you wouldn't make it back. That he'd hurt you."

Australia frowned. How did she know that New Zealand was a danger?

"Well, I'm alright," he said. "But I need to talk to everyone. Do you think you could help me call them?"

Kiribati nodded, before she ran off. She went upstairs, so Australia started looking downstairs. Of course, a lot of the others came closer when they realised that Australia had returned home. It was pretty late, and some of them were usually asleep at this time of night, but he expected that they had remained awake because of him. So he needed to be as brief as possible to allow them to get some sleep as soon as possible. Then again, what he was supposed to tell them might _prevent_ them from getting sleep, but it was still necessary for them to know.

After a few minutes they were all gathered in the living room. Australia's eyes scanned the others, checking to make sure that everyone was indeed there, and with a sense of relief, he decided to spill the beans.

"So, as you all know, I went to a meeting in France, and Kiwi came with me," Australia explained. "This was about who killed England and the others. Turns out, there are two groups that operated in secret, and one of them is confirmed to be pretty dangerous. And Kiwi ended up being part of the dangerous group."

The others all reacted in surprise and discomfort, with the exception of Kiribati. Again, Australia wanted to know exactly how she seemed to know what she knew, because it was obvious that she expected something like this.

"And… where's he now?" Marshall Islands asked.

"He managed to escape," Australia said. "I think he might have joined the rest of his group again. I'm just glad that he didn't come back here."

"Do you think he would have?" Papua New Guinea asked.

"Considering some of the things they've done, it's more than a possibility," Australia said, before he looked towards Tuvalu. "By the way, Peru's part of that group too."

He knew that Tuvalu was afraid of Peru, and when she heard that the nation she feared was part of this dangerous group, she reacted just as he expected. She shrank back, letting out a yelp, and looked around her, partially to ensure that Peru wasn't there, and partially to make sure that the nations surrounding her would be able to protect her.

He hoped so.

"W-what are we going to do _now_?" Fiji asked.

"I've got a base out in the Outback," Australia said. "It's pretty safe. The last thing we need is for them to target any of you."

" _Would_ they?" Solomon Islands asked. "I mean… what would they want with any of _us_? _You_ I can understand, but the rest of us…"

"You'd think so, but no. These nations have kidnapped, tortured and killed regions. In other words, those who have even less influence on the world than you do. I'm not going to take any chances."

The others shifted nervously, and Australia was glad to see that they at least recognised the danger they were in.

"When do we leave?" Samoa asked.

"Tomorrow morning," Australia announced. "I'll give you a list of nations to look out for, but for now, we should all get some sleep."

…

"You called for a _truce_?!" Italy demanded. "Without consulting _me_ first?!"

Romano had called all of the members at Vatican's house for a meeting, and after making his announcement, this was the first thing anyone could say.

"Si," Romano said. "But before you fly in a rage, allow me a chance to first tell you my reasons."

Italy grumbled.

"Okay, first, the reason why I didn't consult you," Romano said. "That would have been a waste of time, to be honest. Time which Alvora could have used to prepare a counterstrike against us. With the Washroom having been compromised, we need time to recover. By delaying the inevitable, I've given us time to prepare for their attack."

Italy narrowed his eyes, but it didn't look as though he had an argument.

"Are you saying that you didn't think we'd be able to handle Alvora's retaliation?" New Zealand asked.

"Don't misunderstand me," Romano said. "I have full faith in our members. But… That thing that happened with Poland… I've never seen anything like it. Makes me wonder what else Alvora has up their sleeves. And I don't know about you, but I'm not going to take that risk. I'm also giving us a chance to research exactly what it is that happened, and whether or not it can be stopped."

Italy sighed in frustration, but Romano could clearly see that his younger brother was giving up the fight. He could see that Romano had valid points, and Romano enjoyed the victory of having his brother see reason.

"Okay, I see the point in buying ourselves some time," Malta said, "but didn't you also give _them_ a chance to prepare an attack?"

"Si, I know," Romano said. "But we can still prepare for any attack. We can examine what we know about them, and prepare for every possibility. A week should also be enough for Greenland to get the new recruits ready."

Italy nodded his head.

"True," Italy said. "And what do we do if Alvora decides to ignore the truce?"

"Then we punish them," Romano said. "I warned Portugal that we would target their landmarks if they break the truce. Likewise, they're going to target _our_ landmarks if _we_ break the truce."

"And considering how Alvora tries to pretend that they're altruists with the moral high ground, if they break the truce, it _could_ serve as a means to psychologically torment them," Greece said. "Especially if we pointed it out."

"That is true," Romano said, only now realising that point as well.

"So, we occupy ourselves with preparations?" Albania asked.

"Si," Italy said. "We'll be busy preparing. Angelo, could you tell the others?"

Vatican nodded, before he stood up. Romano's attention then fell to San Marino. He was a bit upset that Jamaica had left. Romano understood that his brother wanted to spend some more time with his lover, especially since almost everyone else had their lovers with them. The only exception was Vatican.

Speaking of which, Romano was curious to know how Slovenia was progressing with Bosnia.

…

Jamaica stood frozen in his living room. All of the bags were gone, and he could sense that none of the other Caribbean nations were in his land anymore.

Someone must have gotten in contact with them and warned them about him. He was a bit disappointed that they didn't seem to doubt any of it. He thought he had done a good job planting the seeds of doubt towards Haiti and faith in Requiem.

No matter. He supposed that it wasn't too important. He could always reach them in other ways. At least now he could focus on other things.

Like returning to San Marino. But in the morning. He'd used a lot of magic to transport all of the others back to their stations, not to mention what he did to Poland. He needed a few hours to sleep. Twenty-four ought to be enough, right?

…

"Y-you _can't_ be s-serious," Canada stammered. "You e-expect us to agree to a t-truce?!"

Quebec and Åland were staring at Canada, but they agreed wholeheartedly. The three of them had looked up to Finland. They were Alvora's cold members, and they often spent a lot of time together. They were more than just friends. They were brothers. And now Finland was gone, and he wasn't coming back.

Åland swallowed thickly as the thought struck him. What would happen to him now? Did his land also fall under Denmark's control? Or did he have independence, like the American states?

"I know it's hard," Portugal said through the phone's speaker. "But I have my reasons. The Africans are planning an attack against Requiem's African members. The truce is giving them a chance to make their preparations. They especially want to eliminate Egypt."

"I suppose his magic makes him a dangerous target," Quebec said.

"The fact that he's directly responsible for many of the things done to us is the main reason. Torturing Raj, blinding Themba, attacking the capitals…"

"Do you think the Africans are going to need help?" Canada asked. "Because I can arrange for my soldiers to provide aid."

"They might appreciate it, though I'm not sure how much it's _needed_. When I'm saying that the _Africans_ want to attack… I'm not just referring to _our_ Africans."

It took a few seconds for the meaning to dawn on them.

"Wait," Quebec said. "You're saying… _all_ the Africans? Including the non-members?"

"Exactly," Portugal said. "They found out that Requiem forced Uganda to cannibalise Tunisia. And they decided that they didn't want to be victims. Since Tunisia was targeted without being a member of Alvora, they realised that Requiem wouldn't leave them alone. And if they weren't with Anika and the others, then there was a chance that more of them would have been captured and tortured."

Canada bit his lip.

"No matter how strong your forces are," he said, "going against the forces of an entire _continent_ , especially one as large and with as many nations as Africa… It's going to be a challenge. We might actually succeed in taking at least one of them down. Still, I think I'm going to offer my help."

Åland wished that he was large enough to have his own military capable of fighting in a battle like the one that was being promised. But for now, all he could do was support the others.

"…I was thinking of having a funeral for Tino, the day after tomorrow," Portugal said.

"We'll be there," Åland said. "You can count on it."

"Poor Feliks," Quebec remarked.

…

Romania frowned when he felt himself being shaken. Who was rude enough to interrupt him when he was sleeping? He cracked an eye open, and at first he thought that it was Portugal, but after a few seconds he realised that it was actually Spain.

"What happened?" he muttered, sitting up.

"You passed out," Spain said. "How much do you remember?"

Romania frowned, and he tried to recall the events of earlier. He looked around him, but it wasn't until his eyes landed on Poland that the memories returned to him, and he whipped his head to face Spain.

"Where's Tino?" Romania demanded. "Where's Finland?"

Spain flinched, and Romania wondered what news could be worse than his friend being dead.

"He's in another room," Spain said. "But, for some strange reason, they took his head."

Romania's stomach twisted, and he tried to think of a reason why the head would have been taken, and he could only think of one explanation.

"Denmark has Sweden and Norway as prisoners," Romania said. "He must have taken the head to keep them in line, and to scare them."

Spain nodded in agreement. Romania wondered if Spain came to the conclusion earlier, or if Romania had made him understand the logic behind Requiem's actions.

"I suppose that's possible," Spain said.

Romania looked at the window.

"It's late," he said. "Is there a reason why you woke me?"

"Si," Spain said. "Russia and the others are on their way. I don't think they'd be happy to know that you're here. And I think Miguel's worried."

"You're probably right… I don't think I can wake Feliks. So… could you help me carry him to where Tino's body is?"

…

Bosnia was showing signs of snapping out of his lobotomy, and Slovenia couldn't help the surge of triumph he felt. The average lobotomy for a nation lasted about three days, but it wasn't always the case. Some recovered earlier, and some later. But one would usually be able to tell when that moment was, based on the screams.

He'd made sure to whisper his ideals to Bosnia, and there was a good chance that the other would adopt those same ideals. But it was the period after the recovery that determined the fate of Bosnia. He would be confused and scared, and it would be Slovenia's job to put his mind at ease. And in the process, acquire a new recruit.

He turned around when there was a knock on the door, and Hungary poked her head in.

"Sorry to bother you," she said, "but we received word from Italy. We're currently in the middle of a truce. We're not allowed to harm Alvora for a week."

Slovenia shrugged.

"That doesn't bother me," he said. "A week is more than enough time."

Enough time for Bosnia to recover from the lobotomy, and perhaps enough time for the restoration. It was also enough time to discover where Serbia was, along with the others. He couldn't wait for them to see how much happier Bosnia was with Requiem.

…

"So, you're asking me to accompany you to South Africa," Afghanistan said. " _How_? Because last time I checked, no one can get anywhere in Africa."

"Oh, there are a few exceptions," Oman remarked. " _Us_ , for example."

"That's right," Yemen said. "We have access. We just need to get to our countries first."

Afghanistan narrowed her eyes.

"And are those flights _direct_?" she asked.

"If we hire a private plane, yes," Oman said.

Afghanistan shook her head, before turning her attention to the other two female nations. Oman had received a call from Portugal, asking them to join the Africans. And Afghanistan no longer had a choice.

"So, anything to do before we go?" Oman asked.

"Wait," Afghanistan said. "I just remembered about something. Do you think we could ask one other person to join us?"

Oman shrugged. Afghanistan remembered someone that could use a bit of help, and who could offer an equal amount of help.

This was not a war that involved humans. Nations were directly involved. And not all nations felt comfortable with firearms. They needed someone who could help them in that regard.

…

Uganda whimpered, rocking himself back and forth. Rwanda sat down next to him, with Senegal lurking nearby. He was constantly around her lately, and she couldn't figure out why. But for now, she needed to focus on Uganda.

"Are you doing okay?" she asked.

"N-no," Uganda said, and she felt foolish for asking a question with an obvious answer.

"Just so you know, none of us are blaming you," she said. "It's _them_. And we'll _make_ them pay for what they did to you."

"That's… not exactly the problem." He looked her in the eye. "I can't sense my country at all. There's… _nothing_."

 **South Africa has entered a 21-day lockdown. This is Day 1. There are over 900 patients, but none of them are critical, and no deaths have been reported yet. The greatest concern is of course the high number of TB and HIV patients in this country, and if one of** _ **them**_ **gets this virus… Especially since many of them are miners and live in rural, densely populated settlements. And now we just need to be careful of cabin fever.**

 **On a lighter note, my sister made a good point: you know you're antisocial if, after all of these precautions, nothing's changed for you. But I feel bad for her. Today would have been her graduation ceremony.**


	80. Chapter 79

**Thanks to MindAboveMadness and AquaEclipse for reviewing.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 79**

When Singapore gained awareness, she sensed the arms encircling her. She tensed, realising that it meant that Philippines had returned. She heard movement behind her, before the top of her head was kissed.

"I see you're finally awake," Philippines said. "Good morning."

"When did you get back?" Singapore whispered, afraid that a louder voice would betray her panic.

"A few hours ago," Philippines said, squeezing her closer. "Did you have pleasant dreams?"

Singapore nodded. Philippines kissed her head again, before she stood up.

"I'll get to work on breakfast," she said. "Ever tried eggs benedict?"

Singapore nodded. She used to be England's territory. Of _course_ she knew it.

Philippines beamed, before she skipped out of the room. Singapore relaxed when she heard the lock click on the other side. It meant that Philippines wouldn't be coming back soon, at least until breakfast was finished. So, for a few minutes at least, Singapore could relax.

Still, she couldn't help but wonder why Philippines was so happy. Something must have happened to put her in such a good mood.

…

The nations with Malaysia were all rather glum that morning. Even Brunei, who was still new to all of this and who didn't know everyone well enough yet, could feel the weight of the group's loss.

They, like the others, would be going for Finland's funeral, as soon as they could decide where to bury him. The ideal would have been to bury him in his own country, but they didn't know if it would be possible. Technically speaking, the land belonged to Denmark now. And they'd given them no reason to think that they would allow that respect.

Thinking about it made East Timor's stomach turn. Requiem didn't care who they hurt, or how they hurt them. They just cared about inflicting pain.

Timor looked over towards Malaysia, Sierra Leone and Brunei. The three of them were clearly tired after participating in the rescue, but there was more to it. They didn't know the full account of what happened, but Malaysia especially had a haunted look in his eyes.

Well, the truce gave them plenty of time to explain what had happened. More reasons to hate Requiem.

After the funeral, the Asians would be joining the Africans. They wanted to participate in the attack. They wanted to _hurt_ Requiem as well.

And then… then they needed to find out where Singapore was. Not only because they were worried about her, but because it would be a blow to Philippines. East Timor was still upset over her injuring him and his brother.

…

Tibet had opted for some walking meditation. He felt a lot better after being tortured, and felt as though he needed to stretch his muscles. And after the dreams he'd had, he figured that his regular forms of meditation just wouldn't cut it.

He could still see it clearly. The dragon planning to consume him whole. The voices of the other Asian nations coming from the beast's maw, mocking him for his weakness.

And then waking up to see Bangladesh lying nearby, whimpering as he was assaulted by his own mind. And Tibet had to remind himself that it was just a nightmare.

It was also sad, seeing India and Israel so close together, but unable to touch. He was actually happy to see that at least some people had found love, and that their love was pulling them through the difficult times. A part of him hoped for something like that as well, but another part realised that it would never happen. No one would want someone like him.

He shook his head. He came to try to empty his mind, not fill it with negative thoughts. With a sigh, he decided to head back to the others' location.

When he returned, he noticed that India at least was up, in a manner of speaking. India was trying very hard to walk without leaning on something, and Tibet felt a jolt of sympathy. Like him, India had been tortured, all for the sake of hurting someone else. The only difference was that India was tortured by people who had a personal grudge against him.

India smiled when he saw him, before focusing his attention on his current task again. Tibet decided to check on Bangladesh, and was glad to see that the other nation was at least awake again.

He sat down across from Bangladesh, who started a bit as he was sitting up. Tibet cocked his head to the side.

"Are you better?" he whispered.

"Y-yeah," Bangladesh said, looking around. "I… I think my ears are okay now."

"That's good," Tibet said, speaking at a normal volume. "Do you know what went through your mind when you, well…?"

Bangladesh flinched, before nodding his head.

"There was this annoying sound," he said. "I just… wanted to block it out. It was driving me crazy."

Tibet nodded his head.

"That place was designed for indoctrination," he said. "It must have been something that affected your subconscious."

Bangladesh was silent for a long moment.

"Myanmar…" he muttered. "He's still there, isn't he?"

"I don't know if he's still at that particular place," Tibet said. "But, yes, he's still in their possession."

"First Bhutan, now Myanmar… What do you think they're doing to them?"

"Hopefully, not what they did to me."

…

Egypt had stepped out to regard the sunrise. There was a second Washroom, located in the Sahara Desert. It was fortunate that most of his cities and towns were located near the Nile. It left the rest of his territory available for whatever he needed to do.

It was lucky that they had a backup. This was also one of their larger bases, so it could accommodate the others as well. Of course, since Greenland was the expert regarding the Washroom, it had always been preferable to use the other.

But Alvora had intruded far too many times. Even when they tried to make them forget the location, they still found it.

Egypt heard footsteps behind him, and he turned to see Peru approaching. The younger nation leaned into him, and Egypt wrapped his arm around him.

"They managed to capture France," Peru said. "I want to hurt him too. It's going to hurt Spain."

"Of course," Egypt said, smiling. "Where are they keeping him?"

"For now, he's in Vatican's house, but they're thinking of moving him somewhere else. They don't want to risk _them_ finding out that location."

As their central base of operations, it was important to keep everyone far away from that place. So, another location…

"Perhaps a transfer out of Europe," Egypt mused. "The Interrogation Room, the Washroom… I think they might suspect that _all_ our bases are there."

Peru nodded his head.

"There's that one in my land," he said. "It would be fun, wouldn't it? Or, we could ask Rosa to use hers."

"It's your choice, after all," Egypt said. "Spain belongs to you, and so does France. To you and the others."

Peru chuckled, before hugging Egypt.

"That would probably mean separating," he said. "But we'll be seeing each other again soon, right?"

"Of course," Egypt said. "When this is all over – Alvora, and anyone else that tries to resist – then we'll have all the time in the world to spend together."

"It's just a shame they managed to take India. Aren't you going to be bored now?"

"Don't worry. There's still Nigeria and Sudan to finish, and we need to make sure that Algeria is screwed right."

Algeria still needed to be observed to see exactly how her mind had been altered, but cannibalism was definitely part of her character now. And he thought he heard Greenland mention something about playing matchmaker with Algeria and Myanmar. Now, _that_ would be interesting to see.

"I'll discuss the issue with Rosa and the others, and then I'll tell Romano where they could send France," Peru said. "As soon as they all wake up."

"Yeah," Egypt said. "I'm actually surprised to see _you_ up so early."

"Bed was cold."

Egypt smiled. His boyfriend was just so adorable.

…

Black opened his eyes, feeling heavy. He knew that he had been temporarily killed, and it took him a moment to remember how and why. And once he recognised the 'why', he realised that he could see the wall in front of him. He also realised that he was lying on his side, and lying against his back…

He was being spooned by Morocco. He could recognise the feeling of her arms wrapped around him anywhere, and the sound of her soft breathing echoed in his ears. Carefully, he loosened her arms a little to turn around. He smiled when he saw her sleeping face. And this was how he knew for certain that his vision had fully returned.

He admired her for a moment, before he brought his hand up to brush some stray hair out of her face. Her face scrunched up, before her eyes opened. They widened when he smiled at her.

"Good morning, Imane," he said.

"Themba!" she exclaimed, tackling him and flipping him onto his back.

He was surprised when she started peppering his face with kisses. She wasn't usually _this_ affectionate. It ended with a large kiss on his lips, and he revelled in her familiar taste.

He thought he heard a door open, before closing again. He couldn't be sure. But hopefully, whoever it was saw that they were a bit occupied.

"I was so worried," Morocco said, leaning against his chest. "I am _so_ sorry about what I did."

"You did what you had to," Black said. "The ends justified the means. And I can see you again. Have you grown more beautiful?"

She squealed in delight, before kissing him again. Black could tell that she was _very_ relieved that he was alright.

…

Tunisia shook his head, his back pressed against the door. His room was next to Black and Morocco's, since his sister wanted to keep an eye on him, and so he was the one to hear her shout. Fearing that something had happened, he'd gone to investigate, only to find out his sister was _very_ relieved to see her boyfriend was awake.

Too early. His brain didn't think logically yet.

No one else had come out to investigate, and he was glad for that. He didn't think he could handle the embarrassment after walking in on his sister and her boyfriend. At least it seemed as though they were only busy with the prologue.

Still… Perhaps now was a good time to get tea or coffee. Just in case.

…

Portugal and Romania were lying cuddled next to each other in the bed. Portugal was awake, but Romania was not. Sleep was a bit difficult for him. As he brushed the hair out of Romania's face, he couldn't help but think about his arrival a few hours ago.

Seeing Finland's headless body was horrible. Worse than he thought it would have been. At least Moldova had already gone to bed, and Andorra, Czechia and Slovakia weren't nearby either. He didn't think that they would feel comfortable seeing one of the nations that were supposed to protect them in that state.

And seeing Poland lying unconscious next to Finland didn't help matters. Spain told him that Romania revealed that Poland was mortal at the moment, and he didn't know what exactly that meant, or what could have caused it. He just knew that they needed to keep an eye on Poland when he woke up.

They also needed to see if they could get Finland's head back from Requiem.

Romania had passed out seconds after arriving, and Portugal couldn't blame him. He looked absolutely exhausted. At least they were promised a few days of reprieve.

They still needed to find out _where_ they were going to have Finland's funeral.

He didn't think that they would need to decide on a place to bury any of their deceased. He didn't think that anyone would _die_. At least, that was what they'd hoped before they heard about Requiem. Afterwards, it became a fear, and that fear had just been realised.

Finland's funeral needed to be in a place where he wouldn't be disturbed. A place where the coming war wouldn't affect him. There were a few places, and the best would be…

He picked up the phone, dialling a familiar number. He waited impatiently, knowing that it was a longshot, but…

"Miguel?"

"Matthew," he greeted. "Sorry to wake you. Tell me, how likely are invaders to go to your most remote areas?"

"Highly unlikely, especially further north. Why?"

"I'm trying to find a good location for Tino's grave. A place where he would remain undisturbed for the rest of this war."

There was silence for a moment.

"I can think of a place," Canada said. "And… I wouldn't mind. Also… If anyone else…"

Portugal released his breath.

"Obrigado, Matthew," he said. "I'll tell the others to go to your place immediately. We'll trust you to guide us."

"Of course," Canada said. "How's Feliks taking it?"

"He hasn't gained consciousness yet. I'm worried about him, and not just for the obvious reasons. But I guess we wouldn't be able to tell until he's woken up."

Canada sighed on the other end.

"Keep me updated on Feliks's condition," he said. "He's _not_ going to be happy about the truce."

"I know," Portugal said. "But he'll especially need this time to heal."

"You're probably right. I'll make arrangements. Tell everyone to go to a place called Alert as soon as possible. They're close to where I have in mind."

"Alright. Are you sure it would be isolated?"

"Alert might be close to Greenland, but not even she would go that far north. And above all, she wouldn't think to look for anything there."

"And if _she_ doesn't think that, then the rest of Requiem probably wouldn't either. I'm just disappointed that we wouldn't be able to give him a grave with a view."

"I wouldn't say that. The aurora would certainly count as a view."

Portugal smiled when he realised what it meant.

"Sim," he said. "I suppose you're right. Anyway, sorry to wake you."

"No, it's okay. You wanted to ensure that Tino would be somewhere safe. I'll make the arrangements, and you just pass on the message."

"Alright. Talk to you later, Matthew."

The call was ended, and Portugal started to make another call.

"What the hell?" Romano's voice came from the other side. "Do you have any idea what time it is?!"

"After the things you've done, you'll have to forgive me for not prioritising courtesy," Portugal said. "I called to ask you to return Finland's head."

…

Vishnu was kind enough to take them to India's private home. At Bangladesh's grumbling over having to sleep on the uncomfortable floor, India asked if he thought his ears would have been able to handle the outside traffic when he couldn't even tolerate the sound of their voices. That caused Bangladesh to shut up swiftly.

The first thing they did was plug in Israel's phone and turn it on. India had gone to the kitchen, and he, Bangladesh and Tibet were all eager to eat a proper meal again. But a curse made in Hebrew had all three of them return to the living room, where Israel was hunched over his phone.

"What happened?" India asked.

"There was a message from Miguel, sent out to everyone," Israel explained. "Tino… They killed him."

India's knees buckled beneath him, and Tibet and Bangladesh had to help him stand. He stared at Israel in shock.

"Are you serious?" he asked.

Israel nodded mutely.

"I'm going to call Miguel," Israel said. "We need to find out more."

India knew that there were two things that Israel wanted to find out. The 'who' and 'how'.

…

China was a bit surprised to see Spain in the kitchen, simply staring at the table. China sighed, immediately going to make coffee.

"You can't keep sulking, you know?" China said.

"Well, until we know _where_ they took Francis, that's all I can do, isn't it?" Spain countered.

"You can _try_ to figure out where they took him. Most likely to one of their countries."

"Alright. _Which_ one? Because that teleportation of theirs means that they might as well be in New Zealand by now."

China couldn't really argue with that, so he checked to see if the coffee would take much longer.

"They took him, just because they knew that I cared for him," Spain said. "It's _my_ fault they took him."

"I don't think so," China said. "After all, didn't they try to kill France that first day?"

"That was also to spite me."

"Then what about England? Germany? Japan? America? Did they kill them to spite someone else? Or did they kill them because of their influence?"

Spain frowned, before he turned to China. The older nation fixed him with a firm stare.

"In case you forgot, their first targets were the G7," China said. "And I know that Russia and I are high on their list too. It makes sense, actually. Eliminate the biggest threats. France has a lot of influence, and even if he's sometimes hard to take seriously, he has an impressive military history. In the end, your relationship is probably the only reason why he's still _alive_. But we'll need to find him before that changes too."

Spain nodded his head.

"We'll need to figure out where to look," he said. "Do you think Alvora would help us?"

"I don't want to depend on them," China said. "There are still a few things that make me a bit nervous about them."

Such as the thing that happened with Poland. Because that was not the first time that China had seen something like that.

…

"We'll be there in an hour," Oman said, before he looked at the others.

He couldn't help but let his eyes linger on the newest addition to their group. He was completely surprised when Afghanistan requested his involvement, but Oman could see her point. Getting a nation that was also a blacksmith on their side could only prove advantageous. If only his current mental state wasn't so… fragile. They could only hope that Syria proved himself trustworthy.


	81. Chapter 80

**Thanks to AquaEclipse for reviewing.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 80**

Black and White had both gone to Johannesburg's airport, waiting for their guests to arrive. They'd also brought Equatorial Guinea with them to help with the teleportation. They needed to drop off the nations that would be arriving soon, and then they would need to travel with the rest of Alvora's nations to Canada.

Though, they were debating the need to take a flight, instead of using their magic to get there. They wanted to be there for Finland's funeral, but every minute they spent on a plane was a minute they could have used to prepare for the coming attack.

It was bad enough that they were considering tapping into the arsenal of abilities available to nations that Alvora decided were to be left for emergencies, due to how difficult, challenging and exhausting they could be. And it would be especially so for the two South Africas.

Since they each represented a certain part of their populations, their abilities were restricted. They tired out faster than the others, and they had to concentrate harder to do certain things. It didn't help that one of their capitals had been completely destroyed, and Black was still recovering after his ordeal with Egypt. White, for her part, was at least no longer exhausted, but she was restricting herself in order to avoid an emergency like before.

Fortunately, Haiti said that he would be working on a tonic to help them all regain their energy, so at least that helped.

"Here they are," White said.

White led the way to where their guests would be, and soon enough, they saw Oman's group. And they were glad that Oman had called ahead to warn them, otherwise the sight of Afghanistan and Syria would have been completely surprising.

"Had a nice flight?" White asked, looking between the six nations.

"All things considered," Syria said, looking warily between the three of them.

"Ah, I see," Black said, nodding his head. "You're still a bit suspicious."

"Considering I only found out about two giant conspiracies yesterday, which happen to star you three, can you blame me?"

"I wouldn't have asked you to join us if I didn't think they could be trusted," Afghanistan said. "Besides, don't you want a chance to do what you love again?"

Syria looked a bit hesitant, before he nodded his head.

"I wouldn't mind," he said. "But would I even have a place to work?"

"Tell me what you need, and we can make arrangements," White said. "Anything else you need?"

"Steel would be preferable, though I wouldn't mind titanium. And on that note, what type of compensation can I expect?"

"Tell us what you want, and we'll see if we can oblige," Black said.

Syria pursed his lips, looking between the two South Africans.

"I want an end to ISIS," he said.

"Done," White said, before looking towards Afghanistan. "Would you like us to get rid of the Taliban while we're at it?"

"Already part of the deal," Oman said. "But if you're willing to contribute…"

"Speaking of contribute," Black said, "are you going to help with the attack against Requiem? Egypt's our main target."

"Is there a particular reason why you singled him out?" Syria asked.

"Asides from blowing up one of our capitals, as well as the capitals of some of our friends, blinding me, kidnapping and torturing another of our friends, and messing with the mind of yet another friend…" Black said. "No, no reason in particular."

Syria winced, and Afghanistan also looked uncomfortable.

"Right…" Jordan said. "So, how are we getting to this place?"

"Caio, you're up," White said.

Equatorial Guinea grinned as the Middle Eastern nations acknowledged his presence for the first time.

"Buckle up," he said.

…

Normally, when people suddenly appeared in the room you were in, you would freak out. Azores, on the other hand, calmly sipped his tea when nine nations suddenly appeared in the living room he was in. Macau was similarly unaffected, only looking up briefly from his phone to see what was happening.

Some of the _other_ nations, on the other hand, reacted predictably, with quite a few curses in quite a few languages being uttered. One of them came from Lebanon.

"You guys _really_ like your teleportation, don't you?" she asked.

"It's easier to get around," Equatorial Guinea said, shrugging.

"Is everyone awake yet?" White asked, directing the question at Macau and Azores.

"Jeng's up and about," Azores said. "Gilbert demonstrated his ability to talk in his sleep by saying things that are actually _very_ impressive in one's sleep. But he's definitely asleep. Toris looks as though he needs to smell coffee first before he'll even _consider_ getting up."

"Shame," White said. "I think he might also be channelling Feliks's pain. So, I guess they can sleep a little longer. I'll check on them now-now."

Syria frowned.

"What does that even mean?" he asked.

"There's a chart, explaining the South African concept of time," Azores said. "Wait."

He searched on his phone, before finding the appropriate chart, before handing the phone to Syria. He stared at the screen for a moment, before he shook his head.

"This makes absolutely no sense," he said.

"You get used to it," Black said.

"Speaking of something not making any sense," Macau said. "Apparently, most of Egypt's population suddenly dropped dead."

"What?" White questioned, before accepting Macau's phone. " _Why_?"

"This sounds suspicious," Equatorial Guinea said. "Why would Egypt's entire population just… drop dead?"

"Does it have anything to do with Egypt's sudden destruction of mosques?" Syria asked.

"Of course!" Black said. "That might be it. Egypt seemed to resent the Muslims for destroying his mother's old religion. And the fact that he used the Egyptian gods…"

"More than just Muslims, actually," White said. "Christians and Jews as well. The only ones that seem to have survived the unexpected wave were the neo-pagans and the children. There's… Hold on."

The others waited patiently as White examined something else on the phone. She frowned, before sighing in disgust.

"He actually killed them all," she said. "And the Kemetics have a website which says that the gods of old are reclaiming what's theirs."

"Question," Afghanistan said. "Wouldn't a smaller population make it easier for your attack?"

"It actually makes things a lot trickier," Black said. "How many nations do you know that commit genocide on their own people? Not only that, but he literally killed millions in… how long?"

"Almost instantly," White sighed. "It could have taken minutes, at most."

"Right. That means that there's little that we can throw at him which is going to bother him. And it means we're going to have to work a lot harder. Because even though his population has dwindled, there's still the matter of him making it more _difficult_ to attack his humans. It's less dense now."

"Bastard. It's like he's trying to show off that there's little we can do to him. Well, looks like we're just going to have to get a little more creative…"

…

Liechtenstein glanced over to Monaco, wringing her hands nervously. When France called her the previous day to tell her to go to Monaco and not to trust Switzerland, naturally, she was nervous. She wanted to trust her brother, but…

Switzerland had been acting really… odd lately. He wasn't at home, for one thing, and asides from her house and business trips, he was _always_ at home. And when she called him to ask where he was, he was vague, whereas he would usually be direct. Not to mention, after what happened to Austria, she was a bit on edge, and didn't mind going in the opposite direction.

And when she found out that Monaco had received a similar call from France, telling her to wait with Liechtenstein for news from France, it only made her even more nervous. First there was what happened to Germany, then Austria descending into total anarchy, and now _this_.

She wanted answers, but at the same time, she was too scared to seek them. So she didn't see a problem with going to someone who was potentially _offering_ the answers that she desired.

Her nerves, and Monaco's, went haywire when it was _Spain_ that called them to tell them that they needed to go to his house. And when asked what happened to France, Spain wouldn't give an answer. Monaco was especially alarmed, since she knew that Spain was in love with France, so his silence wasn't something that she wanted to hear.

Monaco was driving, but she could tell that there was something seriously wrong. They had to drive through France to get to Spain, and the French roads were _empty_. Liechtenstein tried to remember when the last time she saw a car was, and found that she couldn't recall seeing one since leaving Monaco.

"What do you think is going on?" Liechtenstein asked.

"I don't know," Monaco admitted. "But I have a feeling that something is seriously wrong. I think… something might have happened to France."

Liechtenstein felt a chill run down her back.

"You don't think he's… _dead_ , do you?" Liechtenstein asked.

Monaco looked uncomfortable.

"I don't think so," she whispered. "What happened to Germany… It's not happening here now. It's just… too quiet."

Liechtenstein didn't know which one of them Monaco was trying to reassure.

…

The moment that France gained awareness, he knew that he was in deep trouble. He knew that he had been killed, and all things considered, the only ones that would want to kill him, even temporarily…

The last words that he heard before he died echoed in his mind, confirming to him that he was far from safe. And so, he tried desperately to prevent them from realising that he was awake again, if they were nearby. He tried to keep his breathing as shallow and as quiet as possible. He felt that he was doing alright, until he heard a door open.

He felt proud of himself for his breath not hitching, especially when he heard footsteps approaching. He didn't delude himself into thinking that he would be able to fight off his captors. He could clearly feel the ropes around his ankles and wrists, and knew that his only hope was to delay the inevitable pain that would come.

The footsteps stopped next to him, and he tried to be as still and quiet as possible. He waited for the other person to decide that he was still out of it. To turn around and leave. The longer the silence stretched, the more France's fear grew.

There was a sudden pain in France's head, and he cried out, despite his best efforts to keep the cry in. He heard a familiar chuckle, and he warily opened his eyes to see Italy leering down at him.

"Do you _really_ think I'm so stupid?" Italy asked.

"H-how did you know?" France asked.

"I simply looked at the time. I knew that you'd be awake by now. I even gave you a few minutes of peace and quiet, just in case."

"Antonio… What did you do to him?!"

Italy smirked.

"It's sweet that you're so worried about your boyfriend," Italy said. "But I'd be worried about _you_."

"…If you were going to kill me, you would have done it by now," France said. "You're going to torture me. That's nothing new."

Italy's smirk widened.

"We still have a few surprises," he said. "I assure you, this is nothing like the experiences you've had before. But it's a good thing you're awake, because you're leaving soon."

"What?" France asked. "Why?"

"Because there are other nations that _really_ want to play with you, and they'll feel comfortable doing it somewhere else. So, you've got a few more minutes, so I suggest you use this time to calm your nerves. After that… Let's just say, you'd be _lucky_ if you saw me again."

France shuddered as Italy turned around and left. He understood that what Italy was showing him was _mercy_. Which made him wonder what he was in for.

…

China was surprised when he felt someone leaning on his shoulder, and he looked back to see Taiwan practically lying on his shoulder. He was on the sofa, watching the news, but turned the TV off in order to give her his full attention.

"Mei, what's wrong?" he asked.

She shook her head, leaning closer to him. China was still confused, but allowed her to do what she wanted. He wondered if she was perhaps tired. After all, their group did arrive _very_ late (or was it very early?), and he didn't think that she got all of the sleep that she required.

"Isn't it uncomfortable?" China asked. "Wouldn't you rather sit next to me?"

Taiwan was quiet for a moment, before she released China, walking around the sofa to sit next to him. He was a bit surprise that she snuggled closer, but he wasn't about to complain.

Still, he wanted to know what was on her mind.

"Mei, please tell me what's wrong," he pleaded.

For a while, she remained silent, and her silence was broken by a shaky breath.

"I'm scared," she whispered.

"What brought this on?" China asked.

"They… they used me to spy on you. To attack you. What else did they make me do? And what are they _going_ to make me do? And… what will happen when they think they don't need me anymore?"

China sighed, before wrapping his arms around her in a hug.

"I will _always_ be there to help you," China said. "Even if they manage to kill me permanently… I think I know a few ways to defy that. What's past is past. You can't change it. Don't feel guilty about the things you _might_ have done. The fact that you don't know what it is frees you of guilt. It wasn't your fault. And what you _might_ do in the future… I won't allow you to hurt yourself. I'll make sure to keep them as far away as possible."

She sniffed, and that was when China realised that she was crying.

"Yao, why would you never acknowledge me as a full nation?" she asked.

He sighed, hugging her tighter.

"Because I didn't think you were ready," he said. "Nations go through a lot of turmoil, and have a lot of responsibilities. I've seen countless nations come and go. Some died before they had a chance to live. I wanted to make sure that you would be truly ready to stand on your own. And can you blame me for wanting to keep my cute baby sister safe?"

She actually giggled at that. China was glad that she realised that he was saying it jokingly, and not condescendingly. But he was speaking the truth. He wanted to protect her, and he even tried to protect her from his own government at times. It was the same with all of his siblings. He wanted to protect them. Because of all the friends and family he'd lost to time. Because of what his predecessor went through that drove him beyond the point of suicide…

He jumped when someone knocked on the front door. Taiwan's grip around him tightened, and he frowned in alarm. Who was at the door?

He could see someone else going, and it took him a moment to realise that it was Laos going to the door. China hugged Taiwan one more time, before he pulled away from her, following after Laos. Just when Laos reached out to open the door…

"Are you stupid?" he hissed. "You shouldn't just open the door."

"It will be alright," Laos said, smiling reassuringly. "My instincts tell me so."

Normally, China had a lot of faith and respect for Laos's prophetic abilities, but now wasn't a time to rely on blind faith. He tensed when Laos opened the door, half expecting a gunshot or something…

"Jampa?!" Laos exclaimed.

China gasped, before he ran over to the door. Indeed, standing on the other side was a battered and tired-looking Tibet.

"What happened to you?" China asked. "How are you here?"

"Alvora," Tibet said. "They rescued me, and decided that it would be best to bring me here."

Tibet yelped as China pulled him closer, wrapping him in a hug. Based on how tense he was, this was not what he expected.

"I'm _so_ glad you're safe," China whispered.

Tibet hesitated, before he returned the hug. By now, some of the other nations had come closer to investigate.

"This is all so suspicious, don't you think?" China heard Russia's voice. "Last I heard, Tibet was captured by Requiem."

China pulled away, frowning.

"I want to know everything," he said.

Tibet nodded, and they all went to the living room. Tibet looked nervously around, before focusing his attention on China.

"South Korea found me and tortured me in my own country," Tibet started to explain. "India, Bangladesh and Myanmar tried to rescue me, but they were captured by Requiem, who continued to torture all of us. India especially got it bad, since they got Pakistan on board as well."

"We heard about Pakistan joining Requiem," Vietnam said. "But how are you _here_?"

"Yesterday, Alvora launched a rescue, which included me," Tibet continued. "The place they took us to was Requiem's Washroom, so…"

"How can we trust that you're safe to be around?" Russia asked.

"Because they only tortured me. They tried to indoctrinate Bangladesh, and he ended up rupturing his eardrums in order to escape from that. Alvora… They have a funeral to arrange, so they gave me the choice of staying with them or coming to you. And… I decided to come here."

"Why?" Cambodia asked.

"Because I wanted to be with my family. I _want_ to save Myanmar and Bhutan too, but… I know it's not possible. Not for me. It also looks like Requiem and Alvora have a personal grudge against each other, so I wanted to get out of the way, even if they _do_ have a truce right now."

"A truce?" Spain asked. "That sounds a bit suspicious."

Tibet shrugged.

"And let me guess," Russia said, "Alvora asked you to sign a contract to keep you quiet about their organisation."

Tibet cocked his head to the side.

"What contract?" he asked.

 **Ah, the South African concept of time, when 'now' doesn't mean** _ **now**_ **, and 'just now' means 'later'. You can actually find charts online to explain the concept of time. In Afrikaans, the 'just now' actually has two forms:** _ **nounet**_ **and** _ **netnou**_ **.** _ **Nounet**_ **is literally 'just now', and refers to something that happened, while** _ **netnou**_ **means** _ **later**_ **, but it could also be used in the past tense to refer to something that happened an hour ago (at least). Actually, all of them can apply to both future and past tense, but almost never present tense. 'Right now' is in Afrikaans** _ **nou dadelik**_ **, which means 'now immediately', but it doesn't necessarily mean it's going to happen now immediately.**

 **Also, if a South African uses the word 'shame', it's not used as 'shame on you'. It's more like 'that's a shame', in other words it's an expression of sympathy, or mock-sympathy (however, when used mockingly, it usually gets a diminutive and plural, becoming 'shamepies' (the 'ie' is pronounced like 'ee', by the way)). Another time you'd use it is if cuteness proximity is in play. It was literally the first thing I said when presented with a photo of baby meerkats.**


	82. Chapter 81

**Thanks to AquaEclipse for reviewing.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 81**

"Wait," China said, "didn't they make you sign a contract or something? Or, didn't they ask you to keep quiet about them?"

Tibet tilted his head to the side.

"What do you mean?" he asked. "They didn't say anything of the sort, and they didn't give me a contract of something."

"Interesting," Russia said. "Then tell us, what _do_ you know?"

Tibet was silent for a moment.

"The only thing I really know is that they have the Hindu gods on their side, and possibly a few others as well," Tibet replied. "The same can be said for Requiem. I think I heard that they have the Egyptian and Greek gods on their side."

The others were silent for a moment.

"Divine intervention…" China whispered.

"Is this something you _neglected_ to mention?" Russia demanded, glaring at Mongolia.

"I thought they were just overly religious," Mongolia muttered. "I didn't know they had actual _contact_."

"Wait," Ukraine said, turning to China. "Who saved you yesterday?"

"One of the Shinto gods," China said.

"And where is he now?" Russia asked.

"He went to tell the other gods about what's going on, and see how many of them would be willing to come and help."

"Why didn't you mention that before?" Mongolia demanded.

"It didn't come up yet. And I didn't think that it would be something you report on the phone."

Spain turned to Tibet, who was watching the proceedings with somewhat wary eyes.

"Is there anything else you can tell us?" Spain asked.

"Well…" Tibet mused. "I think Alvora's planning an attack against the African members of Requiem. Egypt especially."

"I heard that part too."

"Spain…" Russia started, voice a bit _too_ cheerful. "How long are you going to fraternise with the enemy?"

"Just because you don't have a good relationship with your siblings doesn't mean that I should completely denounce mine."

The temperature dropped while Russia's smile appeared to be a bit more strained.

"What exactly do you mean, _comrade_?" Russia hissed.

"You probably don't realise that Ukraine is always nervous around you," Spain explained. "As though she's walking on eggshells. And _something_ happened that made Belarus snap. Even when she was just pretending, _something_ was wrong with that girl."

Latvia and Estonia exchanged a look before carefully backing up.

"You presume too much," Russia said.

"Then why don't you ask Ukraine how her battle with Belarus went yesterday?" Spain asked. "I only got glimpses, but Belarus didn't look as though she was playing around. _Something_ happened to make her angry, and you're the most likely cause, considering your relationship, history, geography…"

"Alright, that's enough!" China interrupted. "The last thing we need is to fight amongst ourselves."

"You said that they're targeting Egypt in particular," Vietnam said, focusing on Tibet. "Any reason why?"

Tibet arched an eyebrow.

"I only know a bit about it, but let's just say, they have a _lot_ of good reasons to hate him," Tibet said. "The one that comes to mind in particular is that he took the lead in torturing India, and placed a curse on him that prevents him and Israel from touching."

"Why those two specifically?" Cambodia asked.

"They're together."

"…Oh."

"That's pretty sad, don't you think?" Taiwan stated. "I mean… Not being able to touch the person you love…"

"Any idea _when_ this is going to be?" Mongolia asked.

"They have a truce for a week," Tibet replied. "Everyone – the Africans in particular – are using this time to prepare. And it's not just Alvora's Africans. Uganda and Tunisia were also released from that place earlier, and… Apparently, they learned about something that made the entire continent _snap_. No one would tell me what it _is_ , though."

"I know," Spain said, paling a bit. "Like you said, Uganda and Tunisia were rescued. But… They lobotomised Uganda, and… Well, anyone who's worked with people who were lobotomised would tell you that they'll eat anything placed in front of them that's presented as food…"

"They _didn't_ ," Laos whispered, looking green.

"Tunisia. And Uganda's not the only one who… had a _taste_. Requiem used him as a guinea pig to see how their 'recruitment' is going, and… Algeria too."

Estonia ran out of the room, hand placed on his mouth. Even Russia looked disturbed by this news.

"Portugal asked that no one interferes," Spain finished.

"I can't blame them," China said. "I can only imagine the psychological effects."

"We should probably also pass on the message to Turkey and Saudi Arabia."

"Right. The last thing we need is for a well-deserved invasion to be interrupted."

…

"This is incredible," Syria said as he watched the two South Africas work on his forge.

He never knew that nations could alter their countries like that. It was amazing to watch. And he wondered if it would have saved a lot of time and money on building projects.

"Unfortunately, we have neither the time nor energy to show you how this is done," White said. "Anything else you need?"

He looked around. It seemed as though they had the most important things done – even providing a chimney for the hearth – and he shook his head, smiling in spite of himself.

"No, it looks fine," he said. "Thank you."

The other two smiled back, and in that smile, Syria could see how tired they were. He wondered if this took a lot of energy, and felt a bit guilty about them doing this for him.

"As for tools…" White said. "I'm going out for essentials later, so you can give me a list."

He nodded his head, before examining the area a bit more.

"Are you going to need these for your attack against Gupta?" Syria asked.

They didn't immediately answer, and he turned back to look at them. Both of them had perturbed looks on their faces.

"Is something wrong?" he asked.

"I… Just forgot about his human name," Black said. "It suddenly makes a whole lot of sense."

"Might we just ask that you don't address him by his human name anymore?" White asked. "I mean, I knew you used to be close and all, but…"

He sighed, nodding his head. He could understand why they wouldn't be comfortable with anyone being too familiar with the person they considered their personal enemy. Still, a part of him wanted to know how much he had been deceived by someone he considered a friend, and if Egypt strung him along for his own agenda as well.

"I understand," he said.

…

Portugal went to check on Poland, and was surprised to see that he was awake and sitting up. However, his gaze was blank. Remembering what Spain had said, he quickly went to fetch Romania. When they returned, Poland was in the exact same position.

"Even _I_ can tell that there's something very wrong," Portugal said.

"Da," Romania muttered. "What they did is essentially lobotomise him. And with the last thing that happened _before_ that being Tino's death…"

"They _really_ enjoy doing that to people," Portugal sighed. "Any idea what we can do to help him?"

"The brain needs to recover, and I don't think my interference will help. Asides from that… I sense that his connection to his land and people is non-existent."

"So, _that's_ what you meant. What should we do now?"

"I suggest breakfast. He'll need to eat."

"Right, of course. I'll also call Angela or Theresa. They'll need to know about this. There's a chance that Uganda is suffering from the disconnection as well."

Romania cringed when he heard that.

"I wonder what the psychological effects would be," he said.

"…We'll need to keep an eye on them," Portugal stated.

…

Prussia shambled into the kitchen, Lithuania hovering nearby. North Korea was eating breakfast, and for some strange reason, Lesotho was nearby as well. North paused when he got a good look at the other two.

"Nightmares?" North asked.

"You too?" Lithuania asked, before he started searching through the cabinets.

Prussia plopped down on one of the chairs, before yawning. North turned his attention to him.

"How are you feeling?" North asked.

"Like shit," Prussia replied. "I've got this killer headache, and for some strange reason, I feel a bit sick."

"You too?" Lithuania sighed, before he started making tea.

"…I think something happened," North said. "Everyone's a bit tense."

All eyes turned to Lesotho, who shifted nervously.

"I… Don't think I should be the one to tell you," the child nation said.

"But you know _something_ ," North said.

Lesotho squirmed under their gazes, before he seemed to come to a decision.

"Well… Everyone's preparing to attack Requiem's African members," he said. "Especially Egypt."

"Did something happen?" Lithuania asked.

"Who cares?" Prussia scoffed. "You don't see me crying over _him_."

Prussia was still a bit upset because of the damage that Egypt had done to him and India.

"Um, if you _must_ know," Lesotho said cautiously, "it's because we found out what they did to Uganda and Tunisia."

"Asides from trying to brainwash one and using the other to test out the brainwashing?" North asked.

Lesotho flinched, before scratching the back of his head.

"It's… what happened during that…" he muttered.

"Jeng! Gil! Toris!" a voice scolded, making all of them jump. "Why are you interrogating a _child_?"

They spun around to see Ecuador standing in the doorway, arms crossed. Lithuania chuckled sheepishly.

"Sorry about that," he said. "We just want to know why everyone's so tense. So, there's an attack being planned on Requiem?"

Ecuador sighed, before nodding his head.

"That's right," he said. "The final straw came yesterday, when everyone was still busy with everything. Uganda recovered from his lobotomy, which also brought something else to light. You know about Tunisia being the guinea pig, right?"

"Yes…?" Lithuania prompted.

"That involved making Uganda cannibalise Tunisia."

"That's _sick_ ," Prussia said. "And here I thought that I wasn't nauseous enough."

"There's… more."

"Why do I get the feeling that things are about to get worse?" North Korea asked.

"…There was something happening in Spain…"

"I heard about that," Prussia interrupted. "Is Tony alright?"

"…He's _alive_. But… Well, France was captured."

"Shit. I'll need to see if he's okay."

"That's not the worst part, is it?" North asked, narrowing his eyes.

Ecuador sighed.

"It's Tino," he said. "He's dead. And Feliks… He's in a state as well, but I don't know the full details there."

"What?" Lithuania whispered.

"The sick feeling…" Prussia muttered. "Toris… I think we were sensing that something's bothering Feliks."

"I… I need to call him."

"He's unresponsive," Ecuador said. "I think you'd have better luck calling Miguel or Vlad."

Lithuania nodded, heading out of the kitchen. Prussia suspected that he was on his way to their room to get his phone. Since the two of them were geographically closer to Poland, they could sense if things were wrong – geographically, socially or politically. Prussia made a mental note to borrow someone's phone to see what was happening in Poland.

And to make sure that Spain was doing alright.

…

Spain went up to the room given to Madrid. She had been allowed to rest for longer, since he had no idea in what state of health she was. She could have always gone down, but since she hadn't yet and it was getting late in the morning, he decided to go up.

He was surprised to see her on the floor, and he sighed. He crouched down and shook her awake. Strangely, she awoke immediately. That was nothing like Spain or his former colonies. _No one_ was this easy to wake up.

"España…" she whispered.

"You may call me Antonio, if you want," Spain said. "Well, hermanita?"

She jumped at the word, and he could see confusion in her eyes.

"I… I don't…" she said weakly.

"You _are_ my little sister," Spain said. "And I'm a bit hurt that you didn't come to find me."

She bit her lip.

"It's because… I didn't want them to hurt you if you found out about them," she explained.

Spain shook his head, a small smile on his face.

"I'm persona non grata to them," he said. "They would have attacked me either way. Now, do you want a bath?"

She cocked her head to the side.

"A… bath?" she asked. "I… I don't think I've ever had one. I-I mean… I washed a few times, but… never a proper… bath…"

Spain smiled.

"Would you prefer if I bathe you, or if one of the women?" he asked.

She scrunched her face up in thought.

"…I wouldn't mind if _you_ gave me a bath," she said. "But… I don't have clean clothes or anything."

"Oh, I asked Ukraine to get you something," Spain said.

Her eyes widened, and Spain could see that she was close to tears. For a moment he was afraid that he said something wrong, but then she hugged him.

"No one's ever given me anything before," she muttered. "Gracias, hermano!"

He smiled, before stroking her head.

"Also, would you prefer another name, or are you okay with being called Cande?" he asked.

"…Candelaria," she whispered. "I don't see a problem with that."

"Alright then, Candelaria. Let's go get you clean, okay?"

…

Andorra tried to meditate. It was the best thing he could do to silence the voices in his head.

He didn't want to bother Portugal and Romania with his problems. With Finland's funeral approaching, everyone was focusing their attentions on that, and then there was the attack they had planned. If Andorra could, then he would have helped them as well.

Instead, he decided to focus on keeping the voices at bay. He knew that there was something wrong with him. The… _conditioning_ they gave him… It wasn't confined to his subconscious anymore. He was being tortured by their voices regularly. At least there wasn't anything telling him to attack the nations around him. That was probably the only reason why he was still in the house.

He looked up when someone sat down next to him. Slovakia smiled amiably, and Andorra couldn't help but feel confused. He and Slovakia weren't exactly part of the same social circles. He mostly spent time with the other small European nations, like Monaco, Luxembourg and Liechtenstein.

"How're you doing?" Slovakia asked.

"…What exactly do you mean?" Andorra asked.

"You look really stressed. Are you okay?"

Andorra didn't know if Slovakia knew about what had happened to him, and so he didn't know how to respond to the question.

"…First, how much do you know about what's going on with me?" he asked.

"Not much," Slovakia admitted. "But I know that they tried to make you one of their sleeper agents."

"…Yeah, that pretty much sums it up. I think… something's wrong. That… the part of my brain that kept all of that… is overflowing to the other part of my brain."

Slovakia pursed his lips.

"That _is_ a problem," he said. "Have you tried getting your mind off of it?"

"Of _course_ I've tried," Andorra groaned.

"By distractions?"

Andorra turned to look at Slovakia, who smiled.

"Come on, what do you enjoy doing?" Slovakia asked.

Andorra was quiet for a moment, before he thought of something.

"I guess I enjoy tasting and comparing wines," Andorra said. "That's probably because I have both Spain and France as neighbours."

Slovakia grinned.

"So, I guess we could get drunk," he said. "Yeah, should probably be able to get your mind off of things. Well, it would probably _start_ with a tasting. Come on, let's go ask Romania about it."

As it turned out, Romania had an entire cellar filled with wines from different nations. He wasn't as much of a snob about it as France was, it turned out. Before long, they had bottles of Italian, French, Spanish, Argentinian, German, South African, Russian, Portuguese, Romanian, Brazilian, Austrian, Greek, Moldovan, Swiss and Bulgarian wines.

And in hindsight, some of those felt a bit awkward.

"Well, goodbye sobriety," Slovakia said, pouring a small taste for each of them in a glass. "Na zdravie!"

Andorra smiled.

"Santé!" he said.

He just hoped that he wouldn't regret this.

…

DRC smiled softly. He could see that Angola was alone for a change. And now, he just needed to figure out how to approach her.

He lost his chance when he saw Mozambique approaching her, before the two female nations left together. He sighed. Well, at least it wasn't Ecuador.

He hated seeing the woman he loved with someone else. Perhaps, if he had remained with Requiem, they might have found a way to help him get Angola as his own. Of course, he realised that they were trying to brainwash him. Which was why he rarely managed to be alone.

"There you are!"

He turned around to see Congo approaching, looking out of breath. His brother glared at him.

"Where did you run off to?" he demanded.

"Sorry about that," DRC said. "I guess I just wanted to be alone for a while."

Congo huffed, before he grabbed DRC's wrist. DRC had to repress his flinch. That was something else he noticed, ever since being rescued: he didn't like physical contact anymore.

"Come on," he said. "There's a movie about to start."

Of course, it was discovered that there was a French channel too, and if they weren't outside, many of the francophones would be watching the French channel. Made it feel a little more like home.

As they were on their way, DRC caught a glimpse of Belgium, who was speaking to her brother. DRC glared, before turned his attention away. That was something else that bothered him. He didn't want to be in a confined space with _her_.

Perhaps… he would have been better off had they not 'rescued' him.

…

"Are you sure you're going to be okay?" Canada asked.

"We'll be fine," California said. "Go."

Canada smiled, before he went to his van. He and the other Alvoran nations would be going to the town of Alert, after which they would wait for the others before going to the place that Canada chose for Finland's funeral.

He also made sure to have enough coats, and that they were as warm as possible.

 **Syria's former closeness with Egypt is a reference to the United Arab Republic.**

 **Also, South Africans are not fond of the name 'Gupta'. If you want to know the full story, just google the Gupta family.**

 **The countries listed regarding the wines are some of the countries that tend to be at the top when it comes to wine production.**


	83. Chapter 82

**Thanks to AquaEclipse for reviewing.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 82**

Cuba looked over the rest of the Caribbean islands. They still didn't understand the circumstances that brought them there, but they knew that they were no longer safe with Jamaica, if they ever were. They just hoped that Spain could give them a proper explanation and answers.

"So, are we walking, or are we going to take a chance with multiple taxis?" Saint Vincent asked.

"Wait, what are _you_ guys doing here?"

They were startled when they heard a familiar voice, and they turned their attentions to the speaker. Guatemala was followed by what appeared to be most of Central America. The only exception was Belize, who was nowhere in sight.

"Let me guess," Dominican Republic said. "You got a call from Spain too?"

"Si," Honduras said. "It was strange, though. At first he told us to go to France's house, then just before we left, he changed his mind and told us to go to his house. Really weird. What about you?"

"He just told us to get as far from Jamaica as possible. And to be careful of who we trusted."

"Well, you can trust _us_ ," Costa Rica said. "Come on. Let's just go to Spain's house so we can get some answers."

In the end, they decided that renting vehicles would just be too expensive for all of them, so they walked, carrying their luggage. They were surprised by how few humans were on the streets, and when Panama asked about it, they learned that there had been a terrorist attack the previous day. One of Spain's cathedrals had been bombed.

This just made them _more_ anxious to reach Spain's house.

When the familiar structure _finally_ came into view, they were all relieved. Some of them even decided that they would run the dozen metres or so, which Cuba could not understand. That group was still waiting on the porch when the others caught up to them.

"Was that really necessary?" Nicaragua huffed.

"Doesn't matter now," Dominica said. "Someone's coming."

The door opened, but it wasn't who they were expecting. Actually, why was _China_ opening the door?

China stared at them for a moment before he sighed.

"Spain, your former colonies are here!" he called. "The ones that _don't_ want to kill you."

"Not _all_ of us are _his_ former colonies," Grenadines muttered.

Spain came running into view, and Cuba could immediately tell that _something_ was wrong. The other looked far too tired, and that wasn't something they usually saw with Spain.

"Oh!" Spain exclaimed, eyes scanning the group. "I thought only the Central Americans would be coming. I didn't know that… Never mind. Please, come in. I'm glad you made it safe."

…Yep, something was _definitely_ wrong with Spain. Cuba frowned in suspicion as they followed him inside, depositing their luggage in the living room for the time being.

"Now, I know you probably want answers, but could I at least offer you drinks first?" Spain asked.

"I wouldn't say no to some of your wine," Panama said, before being elbowed in the side by Costa Rica.

"We really just want to know why you told us to come here," El Salvador said.

"And why you told _us_ to stay away from Jamaica, and what does Haiti have to do with this?" Dominican Republic said.

Spain sighed, before he indicated that everyone should find a seat. While they were finding places, whether on the furniture or the floor, they were all surprised when a little girl ran into the room, hugging Spain.

"Miss Taiwan told me she'll take me shopping!" the little girl announced.

"That's nice!" Spain said, ruffling the girl's hair. "I know she'll help you find something pretty for your hair too."

She giggled, before spinning around, looking down at her clothes, before bounding out of the room. China sighed, shaking his head.

"On the one hand, I'm worried about Mei using that girl as her own personal doll," China said. "On the other, I'm glad she's found a distraction."

"So, Taiwan's here too?" Antigua asked. "Who _else_?"

"A few others," Spain said distractedly. "So, do you want me to bring the wine _now_ , or do you want me to bring it afterwards?"

"I think you're going to need it," China scoffed.

"Why don't you tell us what's going on first, and _then_ we can get to the wine?" Nicaragua demanded.

"Alright," Spain said. "By the way, you haven't heard anything from Suriname or the others, right?"

"Nope. Answers. _Now_!"

"Alright. I hope you're comfortable, because it's a long story…"

…

Yemen was sure that he made the wisest decision of his life. He didn't know how they were managing it, but they managed it. The civil war was over. More people were getting food than ever before – even before the start of this war. And the food was of excellent quality. He could also feel his economy improving, day after day. No. Hour after hour. Everything was going well for him.

And he could see that he wasn't the only one. The Africans around him… He could tell that all of them seemed healthier. They were less stressed, despite the imminent attack. And he could tell that a few of the skinnier ones – the more impoverished ones – had gained a bit of weight. Tensions between them had also seemingly disappeared. Everyone was doing better.

And he knew who was to thank.

When Oman approached him with this offer, he had his doubts. After all, his political situation was already in turmoil. Why would he want to add to that? But Oman had sounded so _sure_ , so _confident_. Yemen found himself following along only to appease his friend.

The first thing that surprised him was that he could keep his autonomy. He was an ally, not an underling. He could also discuss all of the things that he wanted to change in his country, and those changes were taking place right now.

Of course, it couldn't be so easy. He could sense the familiar feeling of dissent. Some people weren't happy with the change. But he was keeping them down with his own will. Being a part of Alvora meant that _he_ decided what was happening in his country, and nothing could happen without his wishes. It took a while to get used to that feeling, but once he _did_ , he couldn't believe that he'd gone this long without it.

He could understand why the members of Alvora were so loyal to each other, and the fact that they're so intent on attacking Egypt and the other African members of Requiem made him empathise with them. And afterwards, they would most likely be going after Denmark and New Zealand.

Yemen might not have gotten to know Finland as a member of Alvora, but… he wanted to pay his respects too. He wanted to be there for his new allies. Just like how he wanted to be there for the attack on the African Requiem nations.

…

The new arrivals to Spain's house were staring at him in shock. He'd told them _everything_ that he knew. Everything that had happened. And he accepted that it would be a lot to take in.

"You… you're not joking, right?" Panama asked.

"I wouldn't joke about Francis being taken, to be tortured or worse," Spain said.

"…Right," El Salvador whispered. "Because… Because you love him. And… if you're not lying about _that_ , then… the other things you said…"

Nicaragua swallowed thickly.

"I… I think we could use that wine now," she said. "Maybe something stronger, if you have any?"

…

Belize groaned as he opened his eyes, before wincing. Why was it so bright here? And… Did he _die_?

He looked around, establishing that the brightness was _not_ because he was in heaven. The room had several lights at different angles, making it impossible for shadows to be in the room. Instead of being _happy_ about it – the shadows were really disturbing, after all – he only felt terrified. The loss of shadows… It felt to him as though a piece of his soul was missing.

To make things worse, he was tied to a chair with something around his neck. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't see _what_ it was. Only that it was something that had no business being there.

He jumped when the door opened, and in stepped… Egypt? What… What was happening?

"Confused?" Egypt asked. "Scared?"

Belize swallowed nervously, realising how dry his mouth was.

"What happened to… Mexico and Argentina?" he asked.

The moment he said their names, he remembered what had happened. How they had betrayed him. And… how the shadows had been trying to _warn_ him about them.

"They have other business to take care of," Egypt said. "Instead, _I_ get to play with you."

At that moment, classical music started to play, and Belize flinched. He didn't like that type of music when England was trying to 'educate' him, and he didn't like it now. And… was he hearing whispering?

Egypt raised what looked to be a remote, and Belize had only a split second to realise what it was before he felt excruciating pain coursing through his body. He also realised that the thing around his neck was a shock collar.

…

"You have _got_ to be kidding me," Monaco groaned.

While France's roads were like the grave, Spain's roads were the opposite. She couldn't help but feel that there was something wrong. Especially when comparing the number of cars to the number of pedestrians. They had no idea how long it would take before they reached Madrid, but Monaco could feel a slight sense of relief. It felt like… After crossing the border to Spain, a heavy weight had been lifted. The cold was gone.

And now she was even _more_ worried about France.

…

Ukraine was startled when there was a knock on her door. She was in the room that she shared with Vietnam and Taiwan, doing what she usually did when she was nervous: knitting. She put her work to the side before she went to see who it could be. Her eyes widened when she saw that it was Russia.

"V-Vanya?" she asked. "W-what…?"

"I wanted to speak to you," Russia said. "May I come in?"

She lowered her gaze, but nodded her head. After he entered, she closed the door behind them.

"W-what did you want to talk about?" she asked, forcing a smile on her face that she _hoped_ wasn't uneasy.

"It's about what Spain said earlier," Russia said. "Are you really nervous around me?"

Ukraine's eyes darted around and she bit her lip. Russia sighed.

"Never mind," he said. "I think I have my answer. But… _Why_?"

Ukraine nervously wrung her hands as she tried to find a… diplomatic way of saying what she needed to say.

"You're not the sweet boy you used to be," Ukraine explained. "Somewhere along the line… you've become cruel. You don't realise how many nations you've hurt. And Natalya… She actually said that the things you've done were among the reasons why she joined Requiem. And… She hates _me_ for doing nothing to stop you, but… I don't know _what_ I could have done."

Ukraine was startled when Russia wrapped her in a hug. This… wasn't the reaction that she was expecting. She figured he'd get angry. She figured he would complain about everyone always assuming the worst of him. She wasn't expecting this… warmth. Fire and fury, yes, or perhaps a cold fury, but not _warmth_.

"I'm sorry if I did anything to hurt you," Russia whispered. "I never intended to hurt my precious older sister."

She thought back to the Soviet years. The famine. And how Russia had acted as though he didn't know anything about it. At least, until… Until he saw her crying about it. And, even if he couldn't do anything about the humans dying, he at least _tried_ to comfort her, in his own unique way.

"I know that there's something wrong with me," Russia whispered. "I could never understand my thoughts. My emotions. And I can't control something I don't understand. I… I need help. Katya… Will you? Help me?"

Hearing him beg her like a child, she couldn't help but nod her head. Perhaps, if she'd paid closer attention when they were growing up, she could have taught him better. She could have prevented a lot of pain.

And she realised that there was a time when he was better. When the tsars still ruled Russia. It was during the revolution that he really snapped. It was during that time when he lost something important: a piece of his heart.

And she feared that it had only gotten worse. She'd detected that Russia had a soft spot for Japan, and she'd hoped that he would realise his feelings, and that perhaps he and Japan _could_ get in a relationship together, and Japan would help her brother heal. But that wasn't going to happen now. Another piece of Russia's heart was gone.

She was surprised that Russia hadn't exploded yet. That he hadn't gone on a killing spree, with Requiem as his target. But she was glad he didn't. At least, for a while longer, Russia was clinging to his humanity. There was a spark of the sweet boy that he had been. And she would do _anything_ to get that sweet boy back.

…

Portugal was on the phone with Lithuania, explaining everything that he knew about Poland's current situation, as well as confirming the details of Finland's demise. He felt a bit bad that the only reason why Lithuania didn't know about this sooner was because of his exhaustion after the rescue the previous day.

"So, the only reason you agreed to the truce is to give us time for a proper attack," Lithuania confirmed.

"That's right," Portugal said. "I know the main priority is Africa, but… We need to repay New Zealand and Denmark too for their direct involvement in Tino's death. And Jamaica for what he did to Feliks."

"So… are we going to do _that_ on the same day or…?"

"I don't know yet. On the one hand, having multiple attacks happening at the same time would definitely be to our advantage, but on the other… I don't want us to be spread thin. It could jeopardise our victory."

"And Egypt is a priority. If anything, we need to take _him_ down."

"Exactly. So far, he's definitely the most active member, and he's the most destructive. How's Gil?"

"Relatively fine. There _are_ moments when he would stare off into space, but I can't tell what the exact cause might be. He _did_ say that, asides from the mental scramble, they didn't torture him."

"Based on what we've been told, it seems as though they try to drive their victim insane first, before they start planting their ideology."

Having said that, Portugal took a peek into the dining room, where Slovakia and Andorra were having a wine-tasting. Portugal didn't mind, especially if it restored Andorra's sense of normalcy. They just needed to see what happened if he became drunk. Would he be the Andorra they knew, or would he be Requiem's tool?

"Then I guess that means we need to keep an eye on everyone rescued from them too?" Lithuania asked.

"That's right," Portugal said. "Especially Uganda. There's no telling what the trauma of being lobotomised would do to him."

"I understand. So, I guess we're seeing each other tomorrow?"

"Sim. Vlad just went out to… get Tino's head."

"…That's horrible," Lithuania whispered. "But… At least we can… pay the proper respects."

"At least there's that," Portugal agreed.

…

Romania was waiting in Copenhagen, near the Little Mermaid statue. He could understand why Denmark had asked him to meet him there. Denmark wouldn't be stupid enough to invite Romania into his home, after all, especially if there were two prisoners there.

He shifted his weight, finally seeing a familiar mop of blond hair. And as the tall blond came closer, he could see a smaller blond behind him. A child. Upon closer scrutiny, he realised that it was a micronation.

Were they really involving _them_ as well?

Romania knew that he shouldn't be a hypocrite about this, since Moldova was involved too, but there was just something about the child's body language that had Romania on edge. Before he could think about it further, Denmark was close enough and Romania had to shift his attention.

"Here you go," Denmark said, handing a duffle bag.

Romania opened the bag, just to check, and sure enough, Finland's head was there. It was even more gruesome seeing it like that.

"Now if that's all, get out of my country," Denmark said. "Christiana and I have other errands to run."

Romania glanced down at the child – Christiana – and the child mouthed the words 'help me'. Romania was startled, but before he could do anything, Denmark turned away and dragged Christiana along.

The truce also made it impossible for Romania to interfere. He would need to consult the cards to see if Christiana's life was in danger, and then plan accordingly.

…

Slovenia had only gone to get him and Bosnia glasses of water when he heard the screaming. He grinned, knowing that Bosnia's lobotomy had come to an end. Taking the water, he went up to the bedroom where Bosnia was, and he realised that the other had stopped screaming. Only when he was close enough did he realise that it was because Bulgaria had gone to comfort Bosnia.

Of course, Slovenia had no reason to be upset by this. After all, it only helped Bosnia gain a connection with the other members of Requiem. And brought them closer to gaining another loyal ally.

He entered the room, and both Bulgaria and Bosnia looked up.

"I brought you some water," Slovenia said gently. "How are you feeling?"

Bosnia looked confused, and he looked around. This was of course normal. However, the words he spoke were completely unexpected.

"Where's Lejla? Where's my sister?!"


	84. Chapter 83

**Thanks to AquaEclipse and FerayEs for reviewing.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 83**

Every member of Alvora, even the ones that hadn't been members for very long, had gathered for Finland's funeral. Even though most of them had a problem with the cold temperature, they couldn't help but think that the setting was very fitting. None of them wanted to have a funeral on a warm, sunny day. It would be too great a mockery.

Portugal was the one that presided over the proceedings, and Romania had found a beautiful coffin for Finland. Canada had used his influence over the land in order to create the grave, and Finland was carefully being lowered to the bottom. Once that was done, everyone came to throw a white rose into the grave. Some had tears in their eyes. Others had resolve.

And Poland…

His expression was blank, but his gaze was fixed on the grave. As though he knew what rested inside. As though a part of his brain that still functioned properly was aware of what was happening.

"Does anyone else have any words to say?" Portugal asked.

"I've got a few," White said. "Tino, you were a friend to us all. You were a mother hen. You were someone we could confide in when things got tough. And your saunas made visits to your country pleasant. We won't let your death go unavenged. I promise you, there _will_ be justice."

There were murmurs of assent, and a few other nations said their goodbyes as well. When everyone had said what they wanted to say, Canada filled the grave, and smoothed the land. He created a layer of rock, so that no one and nothing could disturb the grave, and a large stone jutted out of the earth. The closest they had to a headstone.

"Take care," Portugal whispered.

"I'll take you all to Jane's house," Canada said. "I'm sure you'd like some hot chocolate or something."

"That _would_ be nice," White said, "but we'll have to decline. We've got an attack to plan. And we're going to need to take everyone to their countries in order to help with the attack."

"That's going to be rough," Malaysia said. "We're going to rally our troops as well. Would you prefer if we help with Egypt, or are we free to attack New Zealand?"

"New Zealand," Portugal said. "It would be easier for you there. We're still trying to make a plan with Denmark."

"I've got Germany's army at my disposal," Prussia said. "I'm now Denmark's neighbour. If you need to bring your troops to the frontier, you can do it in Northern Germany."

"I'll also have a word with Feliks's government," Lithuania said, glancing towards his old friend. "See if we can come to some sort of arrangement."

"And while I think all of that is important," Canada said, "let's just take a moment to comfort ourselves, alright? It just feels a bit disrespectful to come to the burial and then go back to business."

The others looked guilty when Canada said it, and they all agreed to get together at Nunavut's house.

…

China was in the garden, practising his tai chi. They would be departing for his country in the evening. Even with South Korea being in close proximity, it was better than remaining in Spain, where both Alvora and Requiem surrounded them.

Everyone that they were waiting for had arrived safely. Liechtenstein and Monaco, as well as the remaining South Americans had been shocked when they revealed what was going on, and they even had to resort to confiscating Liechtenstein's phone, since all she wanted to do was call Switzerland and ask him about his side of the story. A _very_ bad idea, to be honest.

China could sense someone else's presence, and he opened his eyes as he turned back to the house. Laos and Tibet were sitting on the porch, simply staring at him.

"May I help you?" China asked.

"You've been doing that a lot lately," Tibet said. "Troubled mind?"

China sighed, shaking his head.

"I just like to keep myself limber, that's all," he said. "There's nothing more to this."

"You know how we prefer to meditate when things get tumultuous?" Laos asked.

"Yes…"

"We know that this is your preferred method of meditation. We know that you're a Taoist."

China's eyes widened. He… he tried to keep it under wraps, but…

His government suggested as little ties to any religion as possible, and while some are tolerated, nothing was the ideal. If anyone found out…

"We know about your situation," Tibet said. "So, don't worry about it. Still, what exactly is on your mind?"

China bit his lip, before he sighed.

"Everything," he admitted. "I'm worried about what they did to Taiwan's head. I'm worried about what's going to happen with Macau. What if Alvora can't protect him? I'm worried about what might be happening with Singapore. I'm worried about what they're going to do to Hong Kong. I'm worried that they might try to get _you_ again to continue what they started, or worse. I'm worried about what would happen if we can't stop Requiem. I'm worried if Alvora is really as great as they say they are. I'm worried that anyone else will die."

The two Buddhists exchanged a look, before they nodded their heads.

"That's a lot on your mind," Laos said. "Is there perhaps something that _we_ can do about it?"

"And what do you suggest?" China asked.

"A change of scenery," Tibet suggested. "You need to get out of this place. We could ask Spain about the nearest park. We can even go shopping, if you want."

China arched an eyebrow. Tibet wasn't one to suggest something so materialistic. Well, he would be able to blend in. After everything that happened, his clothes were torn to shreds. He was given some of Spain's clothes to wear, and didn't look like a monk at the moment.

"Are you sure about this?" China asked.

"Of course," Laos said. "Everyone's stressed with what's happening in the world now. But being stressed isn't going to help anyone. If we can, then we'd like to do whatever's in our power to help you."

China gave them a small, warm smile. At least one good thing came out of all of this: everyone finding themselves on the same side decided that petty grudges should be ignored in favour of helping each other whenever and however possible. This feeling of solidarity… China wished that this feeling would never go away.

…

"So, you're saying we can't go to see Sealand at all?" Wy demanded.

Australia had also called in his micronations. He didn't want them to be in a vulnerable position, especially once he became aware of Seborga's involvement. He explained to them all how they weren't allowed to go out, and they especially couldn't contact any of the micronations in the British Isles.

As long as Scotland and Northern Ireland remained in the dark, neither Wales nor Ireland would make a move, and their safety was assured. Though it wasn't without difficulties, namely from Scotland calling him and trying to demand that he explain to him what was going on.

And Scotland wasn't an easy nation to disregard.

"If you tell Sealand about what's going on, then he'll tell Scotland and Northern Ireland, and Wales and the Republic of Ireland won't have any reason to hold back anymore," Australia explained. "That means, if you want your friend to remain alive and safe, you'll stay away from him. Got it?"

Wy pouted, but nodded her head. Hutt River had a disturbed expression on his face, and he turned to face Australia.

"Seborga is out too, right?" he asked.

"Definitely out," Australia said.

"Molossia?"

"If you're sure that it's safe, feel free."

"Kugelmugel?"

"He's apparently with Sealand and the others. He's safe."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah."

Hutt River still looked uncomfortable, and Australia couldn't help but think that there was someone else. Weren't there seven?

"I… I snuck off to Ladonia yesterday," Hutt River confessed. "I thought that… since his nation is on the internet…"

Australia tried to ignore the micronation concept of 'nation'.

"I wanted to ask him if he could spread the message," Hutt River continued. "And… I found…"

Australia's eyes widened when he saw Hutt River trembling, and he could imagine what happened.

"No…" Wy whispered, obviously coming to the same conclusion as Australia.

"…And that's why I want you to stay where it's safe," Australia said. "These nations… they obviously don't care about smaller personifications like you. And they won't care if you're a child or not."

Hutt River clenched his fists, and Wy reached out to take Hutt River's hand. She might have tried to hide her childish side, but in times like this, she clearly needed the comfort of someone older.

"There's _more_ ," Hutt River spat. "They took his head."

…

Sweden was _really_ starting to hate Denmark. Actually, all of the former hatred he possessed was returning after years of being repressed by more peaceful relations. The only real difference lay in the reasons for the hatred.

First, Denmark brought Finland's severed head. That was a taunt about their friend – the one that didn't betray them in the same sense as Denmark – being killed. What really upset him was that he never got to hear Finland's side of the story. He wanted to know from Finland how much of their interactions was a lie, and for what purpose. Now, they would never know.

Second, Denmark then removed Finland's head, saying that someone else wanted it back. Denmark also mentioned something about Finland's allies having a funeral for him. That made Sweden feel a bit better, but that didn't change the fact that he wouldn't be able to lay his friend to rest. That he wouldn't be able to learn more about the true Finland. He didn't even know _where_ the funeral was, so he could pay his respects too, if he ever managed to escape from there.

Third, Denmark decided to replace Finland's head with the heads of Ladonia and Jamtland. Denmark was clearly trying to taunt them. Norway didn't really have a micronation to speak of, but the fact that Iceland brought their food to them but could not respond to anything they said was its own blow to Norway.

And Sweden couldn't help but wonder about the rest.

He felt that he was being punished for forgetting the type of person that Denmark was. He'd been fooled into thinking that Denmark was some sort of clown. Now… Now both Sweden and Norway paid the price for their forgetfulness.

And he didn't even know what was going on outside. He didn't know if they were the lucky ones or not. Because the group that Denmark belonged to… it was definitely large. How much damage were they doing? How many other nations had been killed?

And there was no way for them to find those answers.

…

Ireland smirked when he sensed Wales's return, and he calmly strode to his brother's room. Wales was in the process of removing his winter boots when he sensed Ireland's presence. Wales looked up to glare at his brother.

"So, how was the funeral?" Ireland asked.

Both of them had learned of Finland's death through their respective lovers, and when Wales found out that there was a funeral, he started negotiating with Ireland to allow him to go to the funeral. Ireland at first wasn't willing to allow him to go – after all, this was glorious power he held over his brother – but eventually he started to think of ways for Wales to pay him back. One of them involved being able to spend double the amount of time with Bulgaria. Wales was quick to accept that condition, but some of the others required a bit more persuading.

Ireland was pleased to hear from Bulgaria that Bosnia's conditioning was going well. He was starting to develop Stockholm Syndrome, and it was only a matter of time before they had his full cooperation. The only drawback was that Bosnia kept demanding to know where Herzegovina was, and he failed to latch onto anything they told him about the matter. It was as though he refused to believe that she would betray him, even with the Stockholm Syndrome. The best course of action was to get a hold of Herzegovina as well.

That brought him to another part of the negotiations. Ireland convinced Wales to inform him of the relationships among their ranks. He was able to play it off as simple curiosity brought about by some of the elder females in their countries – the fact that they were stuck watching reruns on BBC certainly played a part in convincing Wales that it was a legitimate reason.

He knew that Herzegovina would be with Serbia, and since Serbia wasn't in his own country, there was a distinct possibility – actually more of a probability – that he would be with his lover. Which was Canada.

…Which was the nation with the second largest landmass, which meant that it wasn't narrowed down by much. The fact that Canada had such a large landmass meant that he had a lot of homes – something that Ireland had experienced for himself – and there was no telling _where_ he was. Canada could choose a home near a major city, or he could choose a home in the more isolated parts of his country. Because Ireland _knew_ that Canada had both types.

Another condition that didn't violate the truce too much was that Wales wasn't allowed to speak to anyone, not even North Korea. He couldn't even communicate nonverbally. Wales had to inform North Korea the previous night of the arrangements, and North in turn could convey the message to the rest of Alvora.

Wales didn't answer Ireland, and the taller nation started to examine Wales's wardrobe. It was obvious that he was dressed for cold weather, and Ireland wondered if they held the funeral somewhere in the north. Canada was the only nation that seemed viable for an option like that. Ireland wanted to determine whether or not it would be important, but decided against it.

Still, he didn't like Wales ignoring him. He had to get a rise out of his brother. Even if it was through unimportant information.

"Alistair's planning on making dinner," Ireland said. "Haggis."

Wales froze, and Ireland felt a bit smug that his brother was growing pale. There were a few things that the British brothers feared: waking Wales, and eating Scotland's haggis. And Scotland did _not_ like it if someone turned it down.

" _Please_ tell me you're joking," Wales said.

"Unfortunately, no," Ireland said. "Now that I have your attention, answer my question."

Wales pursed his lips.

"Do you want me to tell you that it was 'nice'?" Wales demanded. "Because the person that cared about Tino the most… I don't even know if Feliks was completely _aware_ of what was going on. But… Well, the eulogies were nice."

"I see…" Ireland said. "And I'm guessing that you're not going to tell me _where_ this funeral took place."

Wales scoffed.

"That wasn't part of the arrangement," he said. "Besides, I'm not going to give you the information needed to desecrate my friend's grave."

"Please," Ireland scoffed. "Do you _honestly_ believe that we're so petty?"

"I saw you pour salt in Finn's tea yesterday. Do I _really_ need to answer that?"

"That was a moment of weakness," Ireland whined. "He was being bratty."

Wales arched an eyebrow, and Ireland rolled his eyes.

"I'm going to get Finny," Ireland said. "See if we can find some after-dinner mouthwash."

…

Lebanon was wandering through the base they found themselves in. She was particularly impressed with the place, especially once she found out that the tunnel system wasn't natural, and White was the one that formed everything, using her influence over the land. It was something she didn't realise that nations could do, and she was eager to try it out in her own country.

Even the electrical wiring was done by White's control, and some of the others told her that they had solar panels outside, as well as a waterwheel, and apparently White was planning on adding wind turbines soon. Lebanon also discovered that there was a farm nearby, and that the farm was owned by White. So in other words, they almost had no reason to leave the place.

The biggest reason, actually, was sunlight.

She found herself among Africans, and a few of the South Americans (and one Caribbean island). Along with the Middle Eastern nations, these were the nations that could _not_ handle being out of the sun for too long. The Oceanic nations also shared that opinion, along with the Southern Asians. Being in one of the countries with excellent solar coverage was a plus, and compared to Canada… The nation was sweet, but she could do without being in the country.

Everyone was relaxing at the moment, since Alvora's nations were at the funeral, and they promised a better way of helping to make arrangements for the coming battle. Lebanon _did_ feel a bit sorry for Afghanistan, Yemen and Oman. Since they became official members, they felt compelled to attend the funeral, even if they didn't get to know Finland that well. And they were currently in a _very_ northern part of Canada.

In other words, they were where Lebanon would _never_ willingly want to go.

She brushed her hand against the wall, marvelling at the beauty and skill necessary to do this. Perhaps, if she asked nicely, they could show her how this was done.

…

Jamaica had slept longer than he thought. He had been truly tired, it would seem.

No matter. Now, he was free to go to San Marino, and he could focus his attention on magically tormenting his enemies. And by leaving, the other Caribbean nations had made themselves his enemies as well.

It was time for him to get a bit creative.

 **I thought about adding a few more micronations. I wanted to see if there's one in Norway, but Wikipedia doesn't have any Norwegian ones listed. I know there's another site with micronations, but cross-referencing that information isn't easy. Some of the more famous ones, like Sealand, Kugelmugel, Molossia, Christiana and Seborga are, but there are a few obscure ones too. Apparently there's one shared between New Zealand and South Africa… that actually makes it very interesting in the context of the story.**

 **Getting a chance to write this week wasn't easy. We were stuck without electricity since Monday night, and for once, it isn't Eskom's fault. One of the underground cables exploded, and apparently the spot where it exploded was easy to find. It must have sucked for the people living around that area. And they thought they fixed it, but then there was a new problem, and the new cable also showed faults. To add to this, another substation near us (not directly influencing us) caught on fire when a snake slithered inside and caused a short-circuit, and the overload that came with that made the next substation short-circuit as well. First thing I thought when I heard the cause of the fire is 'poor snake'. Power was restored this morning, but before that, I had to wait for the moments when my dad turned on the generator in order to charge my laptop. And then I had to do my job as well, so I had to figure out when to write between doing my job and not having power.**

 **And my sister just can't get a break. First, she loses her graduation ceremony due to the lockdown, then she can't see her boyfriend for more than a month, and her birthday is tomorrow, and with the lockdown it was nearly impossible to get gifts (she'll have to make do with chocolates – comfort food, at least), she can't see her boyfriend (still), extended family can't come, we can't go celebrate at a restaurant… At least the power was restored, and my mom's busy baking a cake. And then she also has an assignment to do. Yeah, she's not happy.**

 **Also, if you're curious about how it's going with the lockdown… starting today on 1 May, it's lifted a bit, going in stages. Some restaurants can open, but it looks like only take-aways are allowed. Wearing a mask has become mandatory as well. You can't travel between provinces, unless you have a permit. There's a curfew in place, which means you can't leave between 20:00 and 05:00. You can't buy alcohol, and cigarettes are also not allowed. If you want to go walking, jogging or cycling, you're only allowed to do it between 06:00 and 09:00. We have over 5000 cases and over a hundred deaths… On the bright side, murder has decreased by 1000. Makes you wonder which is the biggest danger.**


	85. Chapter 84

**Thanks to AquaEclipse and FerayEs for reviewing.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

 **Chapter 84**

"Dammit!" Turkey exclaimed. "We should have paid closer attention!"

Turkey and Saudi Arabia were still in Saudi's territory, and it took them a while to realise that Oman, Yemen, Afghanistan, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan were gone. It was understandable, considering the chaos of the situation, but when they realised that they couldn't get into contact with any of them…

Well, that was when they started paying closer attention to the states of their countries.

Yemen's civil war seemingly coming to an end was an issue raised during the meeting, but it was specifically Syria and Afghanistan that deserved closer attention. They noticed more thorough and active attempts to put an end to ISIS and the Taliban, to the point that a few dozen members of both groups had been arrested. And the troops responsible for that…

No affiliated nation.

The pattern followed Alvora, and Turkey was upset that they didn't see it earlier. However, Syria and Afghanistan only started seeing the change after the meeting, so Alvora had to have gotten them at some point afterwards.

But now there were two questions that bothered Turkey: for how long were the other four working for Alvora, and since when did Alvora use their protectorates to recruit?

Turkey found himself missing the simplicity of earlier times. When communication between nations was more difficult, and in some cases completely impossible. He also missed having the power to at least stand a chance. He wondered if the other nations would agree to forming a union.

"You're only getting yourself unnecessarily upset," Saudi Arabia chided. "And I'm worried that your anger might cloud your judgement."

"Six nations," Turkey said. "Six nations that went from _right_ underneath our noses. We should have paid closer attention to the news of Yemen's civil war. It's too easy, and it follows the pattern."

"And do you think it's Alvora or Requiem?"

"Alvora. Requiem's prisoners so far tend to have their countries go to hell in a handbasket. I mean, just look at what happened to Algeria and Nigeria."

Of course, the only way for them to get an idea on what was happening was by looking at the news. Nigeria had fallen into anarchy, and Algeria's government had fallen. These were only the things that happened politically. At least Algeria's nature had settled.

Sudan also had his fair share of problems, and they didn't know _what_ was going on with Uganda. Myanmar and Belize also showed signs of crumbling down, and then there was France…

Compared to the others, France was still pretty peaceful. That only made them feel even _more_ worried. What was going on?

Turkey didn't like any of this. This… This wasn't how any of this was supposed to go. This wasn't _natural._ And he feared that they might have something even _worse_. After all, a fair share of the nations involved with both groups had a history of nuclear weaponry. Who's to say that none of those weapons would be put to use at some point?

He missed the time when wars were waged with swords. When armies took part. When nations could occasionally have a small picnic on the battlefield during a brief truce, regardless of which side one was on. This… This was madness. And it made Turkey feel so useless.

"You remember what they told us about Alvora's attack on Requiem," Saudi Arabia sighed. "Frankly, while I disagree with their very principals, I have to agree that they're the lesser of two evils. Besides, would it harm _us_ if we let the two of them fight?"

Turkey paused, before he turned to the other nation.

"What are you talking about?" he demanded.

"From the looks of things, they're more focused on each other," Saudi explained. "We can simply allow them to continue fighting against each other while ensuring that we stay out of their way. And when it's all finished, we deal with the ones that are left."

Turkey scratched his head, mulling it over. Eventually, he nodded his head.

"Yeah, that sounds a lot better," he said. "So, _where_ are we going to keep out of their way?"

"Preferably somewhere they wouldn't expect," Saudi said.

…

Saudi Arabia and Turkey should have arranged to go back to Saudi's house. They shouldn't have stayed in the hotel. They should have picked a hotel with thicker doors.

And all because Saudi was wary of letting anyone in his house under these circumstances.

Qatar was standing outside the room, his eyes vacant and with a single word echoing through his mind, along with the last order from his masters. They weren't satisfied with the report he gave, so he had to see if he could find any other important information. But he could no longer judge what could be considered 'useful'.

His attention shifted when he heard approaching footsteps, and he started walking in the other direction. It was important that no one encountered him. He needed to find an isolated place where he could report in to his masters.

He flinched when a door opened in front of him, but he tried to look inconspicuous as he passed. He only managed a few metres before the occupant of the room called out to him.

"Oh, Qatar," Kuwait called out. "I'm going out for some coffee. Want to come?"

"No thank you," Qatar said. "I have something else I need to do."

"…Are you alright? You sound… off."

"I'm tired, that's all. I guess I'm just a bit stressed after all of this. Aren't we all?"

"…Why aren't you looking at me?"

Qatar didn't answer, and instead proceeded to return to his room. It was isolated enough. He could report in to his masters. He needed to tell them about Turkey and Saudi's conversation. He didn't know if they would think it was important, but he needed to tell them.

…

Turkey and Saudi looked up when someone frantically knocked on the door. Saudi went to answer it, and a pale-faced Kuwait was on the other side.

"Come quick!" he exclaimed. "I think there's something wrong with Qatar!"

"Slow down," Turkey sighed. "Now, what happened?"

"Well, I went out of my room and saw Qatar going past, so I invited him for coffee. He declined, but… I don't think I've ever heard him say so much."

"So, he declined your invitation," Saudi Arabia said, crossing his arms. "What's alarming about that?"

"Like I said, he was _very_ vocal. And not _once_ did he stutter."

Turkey and Saudi's eyes widened. Of course, Qatar's stutter was infamous among them, which was why he was pretty quiet most of the time. So _this_ , of course, was the ultimate warning that something was wrong.

They immediately ran out of the room. They needed to see what the problem was with Qatar.

…

As soon as Qatar was in his room, he dialled one of his masters. He idly noted the ringing phone on the other side, before finally that ringing came to a stop.

"Do you have anything to report?" Greece asked.

"I listened to a conversation between Turkey and Saudi Arabia," Qatar reported in monotone. "Oman, Yemen, Afghanistan, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan disappeared, and Turkey suspects that they went with Alvora."

"Well, they're not with _us_ …"

"They also mentioned an attack by Alvora on Requiem."

There was silence on the other end.

"Did they mention _when_ and _where_ the attack is?" Greece asked.

"No."

"Shit… That means that it might have been an attack in the past, or it might be a future attack. Without knowing _where_ , there's no telling if it's still coming. Anything else?"

"Saudi Arabia suggested to allow the two groups to fight it out, and to stay out of the way. He says that you're mostly focused on each other."

"I see… Anything else? Did someone see you?"

"Kuwait, who was unusually persistent in asking me if I was alright."

"…Where are you now?"

"I am in my hotel room."

"Then I want you to take a sharp object and slice into your arm. Long and deep."

Qatar went to the kitchen area, his mind only thinking about the order given to him. There were a few steak knives, and he took one of them. He pierced his arm with it, but when he noticed that the object was too blunt to be effective, he applied more force, until eventually the knife was deep enough, and he started cutting his skin, repeatedly slicing inwards and outwards in order to open up the skin.

The phone was still in the hand of the arm being sliced, and Qatar vaguely noted some sort of drumming. It didn't occur to him that someone was at the door. All that mattered to him in that moment was that he had to fulfil the orders given to him.

…

"He's not opening up," Turkey muttered.

"Well, he _is_ in there," Saudi Arabia said. "I think – as painful as it is for me – that it might be necessary to break the door down."

"If you say so. Just remember, this is _your_ idea, so I don't want to see a bill."

Turkey started slamming against the door until it finally gave way. They took a moment to survey the surroundings. They found Qatar in the kitchen area, and what they saw…

They rushed towards him, taking note of the blood dripping down his arm. Kuwait grabbed the knife out of his hand while Saudi Arabia proceeded to restrain him. Turkey took note of the phone in his hand, and quickly grabbed it before it fell. He pursed his lips when he saw the blank look in Qatar's gaze as he turned to the knife.

Turkey noticed that there was still a call ongoing, and that the number on the other end belonged to Greece. Gritting his teeth, he moved away from the other three in order to speak to his former charge without the chance of Greece giving an audible order to Qatar.

"You're a real asshole, you know that?" Turkey said into the phone.

"Oh, I was wondering who barged in," Greece said a bit too cheerfully. "Turned out, it's the old fool."

"And I see you're still a brat. Why did you tell him to carve his arm?"

"He needed to be punished. He was ordered to not be seen, and in the case he was seen, to avoid whoever it was. Kuwait, wasn't it? By the way, what's this about an attack from Alvora?"

Turkey felt himself pale. Did they hear that?

"…Tell you what," Greece said, "if you tell me more about it, I'll make sure that you'll be able to stand tomorrow. How does that sound?"

"Are you threatening me?"

"Oh, not at all. But Qatar _did_ mention that you feel a bit neglected since we pay most of our attention on Alvora."

Turkey froze. He had half a mind to smack Saudi Arabia for that suggestion now, but there were other things to worry about. He looked back towards Qatar, who still had that same blank look on his face. It wasn't occurring to him to fight against Saudi Arabia, other than to try to get the knife back. It was similar to the look that Taiwan and Latvia had in their eyes when New Zealand ordered them to attack. And then there was Andorra. How freaked out he was when he remembered the things they'd done to him.

And Turkey couldn't help but wonder… what did they do to Qatar? Were they the ones responsible for his stutter? It was generally assumed that something had happened to him when he was a child, but he would never say, and he would only look spooked. Could it be that, on some level, he was aware of the things done to him?

Alvora was fighting against Requiem. They were launching a potentially devastating attack against their common enemy. And to jeopardise it…

"Forget it," Turkey spat. "You're not getting anything from me, you damn brat."

"…Well, I'm not really surprised," Greece said. "Just thought you'd like a chance to postpone a bit of your punishment. So now, we'll see how the others feel when they realise that you're the one to blame for this. You had your chance."

"What are you…?"

Ice shot through Turkey's veins as the call ended. He had still wanted to demand to know Qatar's trigger phrase, but with so many possibilities in so many languages…

Swallowing thickly, he made his way to the others. Saudi Arabia was the only one to notice him, and his lips pursed as he realised what Turkey was about to do.

Turkey raised his fist, before punching Qatar with all his might in his left temple. There was a cry of shock from the nation, before he went limp in Saudi Arabia's grip. Kuwait turned to him with wide eyes.

"Why'd you do that?" he demanded.

"Taiwan and Latvia turned back to normal after they were knocked out," Turkey said. "We've also got another problem. Saudi, how fast can you arrange for another meeting?"

"Twenty minutes at most, since everyone's here," Saudi Arabia said.

"Great. While you do that, I've got another phone call to make."

…

"It's been a while since we all gathered together like this," Canada mused. "I just wished the circumstances were better."

A few of the nations surrounding him nodded. They were using the time to recall their memories with Finland, hoping to at least honour him in some way.

Romania jumped when he felt his pocket vibrate, and he quickly excused himself. He stepped into the kitchen and sighed when he saw it was Turkey.

"I'm surprised that _you_ would call," he remarked. "But can't it wait? Funeral proceedings and everything."

"I need to know if you managed to make some progress with Andorra," Turkey explained.

"Did Spain ask you to ask me?"

"No. Qatar turned out to be a sleeper too. He spied on us, and was supposed to be unnoticed, but Kuwait saw him, and as punishment, Greece ordered him to slice into his own arm. With a steak knife."

Romania flinched when he heard that. Those weren't the best knives when one wanted to cut into human (or nation) flesh, so he could only imagine the force necessary to do something like that.

"Is he okay?" Romania asked.

"I knocked him out," Turkey explained. "He wasn't reacting to the pain at all. It's… scary to think about what goes on like that. I wondered what he was thinking."

"I managed to examine Andorra's mind, and it's not pretty. When they're in that state, they enter a trance, with the trigger word and the latest order being all they know at that moment. Andorra's seems very unstable, but surprisingly he manages to keep his mind clear from them when he's drunk. I wouldn't know what to say about Qatar, unless you have any more details."

"Fine. Kuwait spoke to him, and he mentioned that Qatar didn't have a stutter."

"I see. I don't think he was punished just because he was noticed. I think he was specifically told to act normal or to throw off suspicion. Greece must have felt that he failed in some respect, and decided to punish him. They won't even speak to anyone unless they have orders from a member of Requiem to do so."

"Shit. By the way, they know about the attack. Qatar overheard me talking to Saudi and reported it to Greece. But we didn't give any details. They don't know the when and the where."

"…That's a problem then. Hopefully, we'll be better prepared, especially since Egypt's population took a huge dip."

"Right. By the way, what happened to Oman, Yemen, Lebanon, Jordan, Syria and Afghanistan?"

"Does Greece know about them too?"

"I don't know. But we noticed that they were gone, and we noticed how their countries seem to be improving. A couple dozen members of the Taliban and ISIS arrested in a matter of hours is impressive, especially by a group with no clear affiliation. Well?"

Romania sighed, leaning against the counter.

"Oman, Yemen and Afghanistan joined us officially," Romania said. "Though, Afghanistan is mostly with us because she wants to get Pakistan out of Requiem's grip. Lebanon and Jordan are protectorates, and Syria's on the fence."

"So, Mongolia missed at least one other member," Turkey said.

"Not really. Oman only joined after that meeting where we all learned that Germany and the others are dead, though not immediately, and he brought Yemen with him."

"…You've been busy."

"We had to be. Requiem didn't leave us a choice. Our plan was to slowly get each nation on board one by one. Our plans benefit everyone."

"I have a hard time believing that."

"As a former empire, you shouldn't be a hypocrite."

Romania thought about all the grief he'd gotten from the Ottoman Empire. How many children he had to sacrifice to appease his overlord. And he knew that Turkey was thinking that as well.

"We want to make sure that things like that never happen again," he explained. "Is that so bad?"

"I know what you say your destination is," Turkey said. "But it's how you get there that worries me."

Romania sighed.

"The end justifies the means."

…

Greece slipped into Romano's office, his gaze briefly flitting towards the wall. They had another map to help figure out the alliances.

"Did you learn something from Qatar?" Romano asked upon noticing him.

"Three things," Greece said. "First, Alvora managed to get their hands on six nations in the Middle East, including Syria and Afghanistan."

"I see. We'll need to figure out whether or not we tell Pakistan. Second?"

"Alvora is planning an attack, though I don't know when or where."

"They wouldn't violate the truce, and we can't launch a pre-emptive strike or _we'll_ violate it. But Denmark and New Zealand are prime candidates. And third?"

"They seem to feel a bit lonely, since we're focusing most of our attention on Alvora."

Romano chuckled.

"You want to attack their capitals?" he asked.

"Saudi Arabia's the one that mentioned it," Greece said. "I was thinking something a bit _more_ devastating."

 **I wanted to show a bit more how the others (like France) are doing, but then this plot point seemed to dominate the chapter.**


End file.
